We are Human: A BNTU Story
by Titanmaster 117
Summary: What makes us human? Is it the soul? Is it free will? And when a machine exhibits these traits, emotion, thoughts, sentience, free will, are they any different to a human? Are they real, or are they programmed? When does the difference between a human and a machine become none, and what happens when a machine becomes more human that us? (Ties in heavily with the Ultimates universe)
1. Season 1 Chapter 1: Our soundless words

**Hello there.**

 **It is me, Titanmaster117, with a new story.**

 **Now, what this story is, is a spinoff tie in to the main story, Baka No Test Ultimates. This story will tie in heavily to the other story that I am writing. Any major events that happen in this story will heavily affect the other story, and vise versa.**

 **However, this story will not be updated as many times as the other one. I will only update this story as I see fit. When I do, I will say when a chapter in this story ties into the specific chapters of the other stories, and vise versa, so it's best if you read both these stories in the order that they are meant to be read in.**

 **I will also use a soundtrack for this story, and place the specific songs that I feel suit the chapter that I post at the start of it, for every chapter.**

 **Now, with all of that out of the way, onto the story.**

* * *

 **Soundtrack**

 **Season theme- Rag'n'Bone Man- Human**

 **Chapter theme- E- Hello Cruel World**

* * *

 **BNTU Timeline- Takes place after chapter 5, and during Chapter 6.**

* * *

 _3rd October 2022_

* * *

 **Japan- Fumizuki City  
** **Early in the morning  
** **Discreet location**

* * *

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes, but there is a storm predicted to hit later tonight."

"So?"

"So, you'll need to make your presentation quick. If the storm hits when you're in the middle of your presentation-"

"It'll be fine, Sarah. The presentation is scheduled to end just before the storm hits. By then, the buyers and clients and, well, everyone else there, will already be invested in our products. Chimera Industries is gonna make bank from this."

"..."

"Sarah, what's wrong?"

"I don't feel particularly comfortable with this. I mean, it feels like we're kinda selling slaves."

"What? That's preposterous. What?"

"Ms. Kobashigawa-"

"Sarah, we're not selling slaves. We're selling machines. Unthinking, lifeless machines. There not slaves if they're programmed to serve you."

"Even so..."

"Look, I've spoken with my advisers. They've told me that all is well in the marketing. They've also told me that the estimated profits that we're gonna make from this will push us to the top. The engineers who have also made these things have also confirmed that our new products have absolutely no chance of going wrong. I seriously don't know what wrong with this."

"Well, if you say so. Anyways, I gotta go. I've gotta give these to Mr. Yamasaki before 11AM."

"Oh well, then get to it then."

"Yes, Ma'am."

 _... Oh God, on the grounds of my forefathers, and for the sake of my home, my family, and my children..._

 _..._

 _Please let this be the right thing._

* * *

 _Later that day..._

* * *

 **Fumizuki Academy**

* * *

As I walked out of the school gates, I saw that the storm clouds were rolling in fast, and that I should probably get home quickly.

I looked at his watch. 4:23. I still have a bit of time to get back to the apartment before the worse comes to wear.

As I walked past the main gates, I looked to my left, and my eyes widened, then fell back to rest. Bando and a few of his friends had gathered outside of the school gates. They were waiting for me. There seemed to be less of them today, but they must've either bullied Amy, my sister, and left after that, or the lateness of the time that I finally left the school bored them, and most of them left. It doesn't really matter, I guess.

 _Sigh_.

For some stupid reason, I'd hoped that they would've gone by now. I'd stupidly hoped that the weather, or the late time that I've left the school would've deterred them. I'd hoped avoiding them yesterday was the beginning of a lucky streak.

Idiot.

Absolute idiot.

Bando took the lead from his friends, as always, a sadistic smile curled on his lips as he stomped towards me, hands in pockets. I took note of them, as always.

Fujio Bando. First Wave Student. Extremely fanatical loyalist. On Kinoshita Yuuko's payroll. In obsessive love with her (Poor bitch). Albino. White hair. Red eyes.

Koharu Higa. First Wave student. Sister to Akane Higa. Disowns her. Staunch Loyalist. Only got into Class A by doing... favours, for certain students. Actually Class F levels of intelligence. Girlfriend to Bando. Disloyal to him as he is to her. Extremely toxic relationship Black hair. Brown eyes.

Zenzō Teruya. Second Wave student. Loyalist. From what I've gathered, slight hearing loss. Barely got into Class A. Brown hair. Grassy green eyes.

Gin Yano. First Wave student. Loyalist. Transgender male. Still has feminine features, even after the sex change. Titian hair. Grey eyes.

"Hey there, Roly Poly", began Bando, forcibly wrapping his arm around my head into a headlock, his smile as sadistic as ever, as the rest of his friends surrounded me.

It's Riley. Riley Harrison.

Asshole.

Not that I'd say it to his face.

"We missed you yesterday, fatty", he continued, the words searing through his unwashed, yellow teeth, his breath smelling like energy drink.

I'm not even fat. I'm actually below the average weight by quite a bit.

"We were just wondering where you went, Buddy", he sneered those words, obviously finding the last one painful to say in reference to myself.

I didn't say a word. I wouldn't let him have the satisfaction of knowing how I avoided him yesterday.

Before any of you say, "You should have left with your sister. They wouldn't target both of you", that's a lie. They find it more fun to target both of us. Amy must've gotten some shit like I am now when she left.

I was only able to avoid these guys by making do with a secret room in the lower levels of the school that, unofficially, belonged to Miharu Shimizu. There was a secret passage network in that room that ran across the whole school, leading to a way out of the school that, as of my knowledge, only I knew about. Wherever Miharu knew about it as well, I don't know.

I continued to keep my lips closed. I looked up at him, and glared at him, my turquoise blue eyes betraying what I feel now. I try to feign anger, but all I feel is fear.

"Aw, don't look at me like that", smiled Bando, "Don't you remember all the good times we've had together?"

He tightened his hold over my head as he said "Good times".

I'll be damned if I can think of any, "Good times", but I still have the scars from the "Bad times".

Both physical, and mental.

"Maybe we should have a playdate", began the colossal slut known as Koharu Higa, her sickly sweet tone betraying the bitter poison underneath it, "Make him remember all of those good times we shared together."

Somehow, she's able to make everything she says sound suggestive.

I hated her.

I hated all of them.

I hated them for what they represented: the worst parts of not only Class A, but Fumizuki Academy as a whole. The arrogance, the bullies, the easily led, the corrupt, the cowardly, the dishonourable, the intellectually stubborn. Class A was meant to be a class that others looked up towards, and yet it was a cesspool of corruption, hate, segregation, divide, and sin. Class A had become a joke, yet no one had the guts to leave. With all of the other schools in Fumizuki city shutting down, Fumizuki Academy was the best chance at a proper education as it could get, and no matter how much people hated it, they needed the school to give them a chance at a future. Yet the 4 people that gather around me represent all that is wrong with the system that we now have grown accustomed too, personified. They wear their sin like a badge, and I hate it, and I hate them as well.

Most of all, though, I hate myself, for not being able to stand up to them, both physically, mentally, and subconsciously. I was weak. So was my sister. Malnutrition does that to you. So does living in a run down apartment in downtown, and only one of us having a job that pays barely minimum wage. I mean, Mr. Matsuoka was kind enough to give Amy that job in his bar, but I guess with all of the new big businesses moving in, you'd lose quite a bit of money yourselves.

Back to my point, I hated myself for not being able to fight back against the machine of discrimination and fascists. I tried to once, along with others, but we were crushed under the heel of those who'd seek to oppress us. I couldn't fight back. I still can't fight back. And I hate myself for it. I hate myself for being weak. I hated myself for being afraid. But, what was worse, was that everyday, the pain that I felt for my entire situation hurt that little bit less. I was becoming more insensitive to what I was, and how I got there, and I hated myself for that the most of all.

"Now now, play nice, you 2", said Bando, his voice bringing me back to my painful reality, "There'll be plenty of fun for everyone."

I wished that I still had the rifle that I had taken from those weirdo cultist guys from Class F when those new students beat the crap out of them. Last time I saw it, Miharu was holding it in the locker rooms, so it was possible that she still had it.

Great.

The bullets in the rifle were only stun rounds, but they still would've held off these assholes with relative ease.

I closed my eyes, awaiting the regular beating that I would receive.

Then, a gentle buzzing entered my ears, keeping a quick, but steady beat. And then, it became louder. And louder. And louder. Then, the wind blew through my hair, and my jumper fluttered in the increasing breeze. I opened my eyes, to feel the cold wind hit them, requiring me to blink, as my eyes briefly chilled and blurred, then returned to normal. I looked to the source of the sound, and saw that another one of the cargo helicopters was flying in over the school, carrying another one of those Spider Tank like forest clearing machines. Those helicopters had been flying in all day, carrying those large machines here, into the city, cutting away at the trees and plants of the city. I had told Amy a few days ago that all of Fumizuki city's natural beauty was going to be ruined by all of this modernisation, and now my fears were becoming reality.

I looked to the aggressors that held me against my will. Their attention had briefly turned to the cargo helicopter that flew over our heads as well, though for longer then I. My natural, rather subservient instincts told me to stay where I was, but then, I saw that Bando's arm had loosened just a bit, and his left hand was bare in front of me. Big mistake. I saw and opening, and took it to my advantage.

I bared my naturally formed fangs in my mouth (I had to bite into quite a bit of firm food for as long as I can remember, so my fangs had been naturally sharpened), and bit down onto Bando's hand, so hard that I broke the skin, and drew blood. I'm sure that Bando and his goons would blame me for something that I had not done tomorrow for revenge, as they always do for fun, but at the moment, I cared not. All I know is, at that moment, causing my long time tormentor pain, and hearing him cry out in such, felt really good.

He instinctively released me from his grasp, crying out in shock and pain, as his hand began to weep blood, and his asses for friends gathered around him. I must've bitten down harder than I thought, but I didn't care. Taking advantage of the confusion, I pushed my way out of the small gaggle, and began to run, my legs carrying me to a sidewalk near the small forest area that stood near the school, as I spat the blood that I had unwittingly collected in my mouth out onto the concrete pavement.

I looked behind me, to see Bando, still holding his bitten hand, though blood was gently seeping from the puncture holes, staining his hand red. His sadistic smile was gone, and his lips had curled into an almost animalistic like snarl. His eyes, which were already filled with hate, were now burning in it, and a single tear from the physical pain rolled down his cheek. He looked to me, and his face filled with pure rage.

This guy's got some serious anger issues.

His friends turned to me too in unison, their eyes filled with anger as well, but on a lesser scale then Bando. Bando looked to them, and said through his teeth, "What are you waiting for? Let's get that little twat!"

They proceeded to charge at me, but I wasn't deterred from my path. For the first time in a while, I felt a rush of energy and adrenaline, brought on by making fools of my tormentors, but this feeling of rushing energy was different. It tasted different. It was true adrenaline. Not that which is given off by ESBs, but by true action, or when you really do come into harm's way. My legs continued to carry me down the path next to the forest like area. I heard construction equipment and machines claw away at the trees as I continued to run. I passed by a occupied bench as I ran, where 2 boys that went to Fumizuki Academy were sitting in a tryst, holding hands. They looked to be in Year 3, Class C. I looked behind me, and saw that my 4 bullies were still a ways away, but they were slowly gaining pace. I quickly stopped by a trashcan that sat next to the pavement, and knocked it over, sacrificing a few precious moments for a quickly thought plan that would probably never work. I started running again, and looked behind me to see that, somehow, in a Hercules leap of logic, those morons actually collectively thought that it would be easier to jump over the trash can instead of simply going around it, and now they were all on the floor, picking themselves back up.

How did these fools get into Class A again?

I then started wheezing, as my speed began to decrease. I was running out of energy. I wasn't strong enough to continue running for a long period of time. Now, that might seem like a cry of self hate, but it was rather a statement of fact. Thanks to malnutrition and lack of exercise, I wasn't physically able to run for long distances like most people, before running out of stamina to continue (Then again, a good majority of the people at Fumizuki Academy had super-hearts, so that might be contradictory of what I had just said). I needed a plan on how to get away from my foes, and I needed one now.

As I ran, fear began to envelop me once more. I was scared of my tormentors once again, as I feared for what they would do to me if I allowed them to catch up to me. Their beatings of me were already particularly harsh, but now, thanks to a sheer act of stupid defiance, and my attempt to escape from them, their acts of violence would surely only intensify. I still carried the scars from my last unfortunate encounters with them, now veteraned into my body, as I wore them like a unmoveable badge of my shame. I feared, now, what would entail from their fully fuelled wrath.

I once again heard the sound of machinery from inside the small forest, and an idea came to mind. Quickly looking back to Bando and his goons, who were still hot on my tail, but quite a distance away, I took a sharp turn to the left, and ducked into the thick forest of green. I pushed past the shrubbery and the falling rose petals, as I heard rustling noises from behind me. They were following me through, though they were still a far distance away from me. I hoped that my last ditch effort would work, as I tried to go faster, and my wheezing, and panting for breath began to perpetrate the air.

I then came to an opening, and almost slammed into a giant metal leg before I stopped myself. I looked up, and saw that it was 1 of the forest cutting machines that all of those cargo helicopters had been carrying in all day. It seemed to ignore me, as if I wasn't there. Then again, it was a simple machine, and was probably following it's programming. That made me think back to the 4 new students that Class A received earlier this day. Well, 3, technically, since one of them was a robot itself. Or, himself, I guess. Did that robot, calling himself, 'Mateuz', have any actual programming to it? (Mateuz told me before we left Class A for that tour that his name was spelt without an 's', which I found a bit weird, but he just followed it up by saying that he was a rebel). I would assume so, since a robot can't really function without programming, but if that was the case, then what was it's actual programming? What was it's actual purpose? So many questions, so few answers.

I was broken out of my thoughts by a firm hand grabbing the back of my hand, and slamming it against the metal leg of the large 4 legged machine. As blood erupted from my nose upon impact, I was spun around, punched in my left eye, then pushed on the ground on my back, and my arms were held down by 2 other sets of arms. Thank goodness I was wearing my backpack as I landed, otherwise the gravel and sharp stones on the ground could've bruised his back. As I felt the hot blood seep from my nose, I looked up, and saw Bando standing above me, as well as his slut for a girlfriend, while I was being held down by Teruya and Yano.

"Aaaand the final straw has been broken", said Bando, as he kneeled down, and clenched his left hand, still bleeding slightly, into a fist, "You know, I did have patient with you before. You and your whore sister. But now, I can't seem to find it."

She's not a whore.

He then cracked his knuckles, but then winced from the pain from his left hand, and raised his right fist, striking it into my gut, knocking the breath out of me to cry out in pain.

"So, I am going to focus all of my power, and all of the power of my friends, and my allies, to making your life a bigger living hell than IT ALREADY IS!" suddenly yelled Bando, as he raised his right fist again, preparing to strike once more.

"HEY! YOU ROTTEN KIDS!"

And the boot has finally dropped.

Bando stopped, and looked to his left, to see 3 tall, muscular looking men, in their late 30s and 40s, in construction worker uniforms, approaching them, looking very agitated. I kept my outside look as a fearful one, but on the inside, I smiled to myself, hoping for a pleasing outcome.

"Care to explain what you're doing here?" said the lead construction worker.

"Um, well, sir, um, you see", Bando's face right now. He was struggling to find a way to lie that the obvious thing that he was doing was actually the complete opposite of that. Ha. Comedy gold, "W-we were just, um, fooling around, you see-"

"Really?" asked the lead construction worker with a look of 'Yeah that's a complete lie and I know that you know that I know it is', "Because from where my boys and I were standing, it looked like you and your 3 friends here were chasing that boy there through the woods, cornered him next to one very dangerous piece of machinery, slammed him against said piece of machinery, punched him in the eye, pinned him on the floor, and punched him again. Wow, looks like some fun tomfoolery that you got going on here."

You could practically taste the sarcasm from that last sentence.

"Um, well, yeah, but, er- FUCKIN' BOOK IT!" yelled Bando as he made a break for it, before tripping himself up, and landing in a conveniently placed puddle of mud, drenching himself in mud. He then picked himself back up, and continued to run, as his girlfriend followed him, while his 2 other friends let go of me, and scattered, instead of trying to explain themselves.

For Class A members, they weren't particularly smart.

"Buncha runts", muttered one of the construction workers, as another one of them helped me up, pulled out a pack of tissues from his pocket, and placed it in my open hand.

"Here you go, kid", said the worker, as I used one of the tissues to wipe my bloody nose, and another one to wipe my smarting eye, "Before ya ask, I don't got a cold. The dust that gets kicked up around here is hell for allergies."

I thought back to a rumour I heard, that the only reason that the fabled Mizuki Himeji was in Class F was because of allergies in the first place, but I never really believed it, to be honest. In response, I just muttered, "Thanks."

"How'd they even start chasing you anyways?" asked the construction worker.

I saw no reason to lie to him, so I opened up to him, "Um, well, what happened was, I was leaving Fumizuki Academy (The school that I attend), when I saw that those 4 were waiting for me. The albino one then grabbed my head, and started using figurative and sarcastic language to threaten me, but then they were distracted by a helicopter carrying one of those big robots over there, so I took the opportunity to bite him in his hand, so he'd let go of me, and he did, and I ran, but then he and his friends started running after me, intending to hurt me, so I knocked over a trash can to slow them down, and it work, and in an effort to lose them, I ducked into the forest like area (This area, technically), but they started following me through there as well, and then I ran into this clearing place, and almost face planted into the giant robot, but then they found me and... well, you know the rest."

There. The unedited, unadulterated truth.

Well, most of it. The construction worker in front of me didn't need to know that I intentionally led those 4 asses into the forest as soon as I remembered what was happening in the forest, and intended for them to be lured into this little restricted area, and be caught bullying me.

Yep, that was something he didn't need to know.

"Fumizuki, huh?" said the construction worker, "Don't worry kid, I'll have words."

As soon as he said that, I realised my mistake, and cursed myself. The local government in Fumizuki City was notoriously corrupt, and the school had it's hands in a lot of the pockets of the local politicians, so it could get away with anything that it wanted, without any repercussions. And who was in charge of the school? A principal who sole heartedly believed in the system that she had made. Not only that, but the top dogs in Class A also had their own hand in that power, being in charge of Class A, so the principal always listened to what they said, regardless of wherever it was right and wrong. Who was in charge of Class A? Kinoshita, and her cabal of followers, who were incredibly discriminatory against those who were below them intellectually, and those who defied the system that they placed in. For god's sake, how did I forget this? This is probably the most important piece of information that you'd need to survive in this city. I even told John and his crew earlier today about this! How the hell did I forget that?!

Christ, I'm an idiot.

I looked at the construction worker, and, in a panicky state, called out, "No no no no. Bad idea. Very bad idea. Extremely bad idea. That's such a bad idea... that it's bad. Mate, I don't know who you are, or even your name, but I can presume that you've got a good living going on here, so out of good will, I'm gonna ask you not do what you just said you'd do. The school is extremely powerful in the local government, and not just because of it's wealth. The top dogs at Fumizuki Academy have their hands in so many people's pockets, that they can do whatever they want without the fear of repercussions. You challenge them, then boom. Job: gone."

"What? That's ridiculous", said the worker, "A school can't have political power. I wasn't even gonna 'challenge' them anyways. I was just gonna make a complaint to them-"

"Making a complaint to them is considered challenging them on how things there work. Trust me, they are the masters of insane troll logic. You call in that someone's from the school is bullying another person: that's considered questioning the school system. Boom. Job: gone."

"Please, my contracts protect me, kid. It's no problem. Now, get outta here kid, 'cause you're in the middle of a restricted area."

"But-"

"Go, kiddo, before my supervisor gets here."

I looked at him for another few moments, and then I said "Thank you" for the tissues, and turned around, entering the forest area, and pushing my way through the trees and foliage. After a minute, I found myself back on the pathway from wench I came, but was a ways away from when I first entered the forest area, about a good 5 minutes further down the sidewalk. Worrying that I was going to be ambushed by my bullies, I decided to stick near the opposite edge of the sidewalk, where there was no forest area, so that I could quickly escape that way, away from the trees where they could jump out and pounce on me.

...

Why the hell didn't I just run down that open path to begin with, instead of the narrow sidewalk?

Come to think of it, why didn't I just jump into the trees in the first place? I could've lost them quicker...

Idiot.

Me.

I'm an idiot.

I looked to my watch once again. 4:38. I really needed to get home.

To be honest, at times like these, the only real thing that I needed was a friend. Just a friend. A friend who would help me through the dark times. A friend who would hold me when all seemed lost. A friend who would stand by me, even in the darkest of times.

Now, don't get me wrong, my sister is a great person, but, well, like me, she was weak too. Weak, and pessimistic. And, to be honest, she usually got off on the bullying easier then I did. She always had it lighter than me, and I loathed her for it. I didn't want to, but... I just hated her for it. I loved her as my dearest sister, but I hated her for being on the easier end of things.

All I desired was a friend. A companion. One who would help me through the dark times, and stand by me, even through all the pain and hurt.

A friend, was all that I asked for.

But, I was being selfish. Selfish, and stupid, as always. I want, doesn't get.

Besides, no one would want to be friends with an idiot like me.

I wiped away a tear from my eye, before it could roll down my eye. I had to stop thinking about impossible things, and keep my head in reality. I looked around. No one was present, so no one could see me in my pit of self-loathing. Still, just because there was no one around, doesn't mean that there aren't eyes watching me...

I cautiously walked down the pathway, keeping to a race walk like speed. I kept going for about another 7 minutes, before I came to the end of pathway, and into the large city of Fumizuki city. I then proceeded to walk through the bustling crowds, keeping myself to myself, as I passed face after face, whom I would never remember ever again.

I looked beyond the crowds of people, and saw first hand the changes that had come to the city already, and the changes that would come as well. I saw a billboard up on top of one of the skyscrapers that hadn't been there before, and upon a more focused look, saw that it was a billboard for Chimera Industries. I could tell 'cause it had the megacorp's big ass logo on some blue background, along with a picture of some humanoid robot from a military line that they were making.

I scoffed at the sign. A billboard for a company was openly displaying a symbol of violence: weapons. It didn't matter if it was a robot, or a gun, or a knife, or whatever. If it could commit violence, then megacorps like Chimera Industries or ONI Enterprises could profit from it. To be perfectly honest, these big corporations were the biggest reason that the War in Donbass was still going on. Forget racial or freedom issues, or political rights or... whatever. War and violence was 1 of the biggest money making markets out there, and Chimera and ONI were making money supporting their own respective sides. Chimera Industries for NATO, Romania and Ukraine, ONI Enterprises for Russia and the Crimea Separatists. Hell, who'd you think hired that Russian private military firm to fight with the separatists? Russia? Nope. ONI Enterprises. Forget just war, or anything like that. This was corporate warfare, to the almost extreme.

I continued to walk down the crowded streets, mindful of the crowds of people that I passed. Over the heads of my fellow man, I saw cranes towering over the large office blocks and skyscrapers of the city, carrying between them materials and such, to further build on the already constructed skyscrapers. Frames for bridges and extra floors between buildings were being made, and in the distance, between the skyscrapers, I could see the framework for a large structure, with a flag like banner saying 'ONI Enterprises' fluttering in the wind. I looked towards the other large stores that littered the streets, seeing signs for custom latex masks, costumes, kitchen utensils, build-a-bears, CCTV cameras, and many other strange and obscure things.

Forcing myself to look away from the distractions, I continued to walk. The storm was growing nearer and nearer, and I preferred to be under the roof of my old apartment when it hit.

After a good 15 minutes, I was out of the large city area, and walking through the outskirts of the populace centre. I passed by houses and homes of various size and shape, and the occasional small time business, selling to those who couldn't afford what was being sold in the big city.

By this point, people had begun to notice me, and my stained nose and bruising eye. I could see them muttering to each other, but I couldn't hear what they spoke of. Couldn't, or didn't want to. I cared not. I pressed forward, unimpeded by those whom looked at me, though I will admit, this was few. The older adults paid heed to my rather unpleasant injuries, but those my age or just older (Who were more present in the outskirts of Fumizuki city then the main centre of it) looked at the symbol of my uniform, and simply gazed in silent understanding.

Nowadays at Fumizuki Academy, the beating of a student is a way to parade the deviants; ostracism of the lowers, ever in intelligence or different ideals, by means of lurid treatment. At first, this was heavily frowned upon by the masses, but now, throughout the school year, and even through the summer vacation, the amount of young people being discriminated in the corrupt system of the school became ubiquitous, and with this, came tolerance for the treatment of those considered lower classes. But, what I knew, was that the people of Fumizuki Academy were crying out to be emancipated, wherever they knew it or not. I guess that's what drew me to join Akane and her group in the first place. When we joined Fumizuki Academy in Year 1, we were told of what would come, and we all agreed that this system of discrimination and ostracism via intelligence was an inherently bad thing, and when we were all put into Class A in Year 2, we thought that the top dogs in the school would've listened to us via peaceful protest.

How hopelessly naïve.

We should've known that when we went against the system, we would be crushed, needlessly, and ruthlessly. We fought Kinoshita and her cabal to be callow, and more reasonable then she let on. We were wrong. Kinoshita was fanatical with her belief in the system that the school promoted, and as soon as she saw us, she labelled us as a threat, and moved against us. All she had to do, was talk to the top teachers, and bam, we were done. I don't think she even had to manipulate them or anything. It didn't matter though, 'cause in the end, we were beaten before we even thought of fighting. A few of those who were in the protest were forced to move school, but then they started shutting down, so they were just shunted right back in. A good 65% of us, however, were forced to move cities to get away from the abuse and hate that they were receiving. One of our number even committed suicide, thanks to all of the abuse that he was receiving, and the fact that the school had enough influence to make his parents get kicked from their jobs, and cover up the suicide was, and still is, completely morally unjust. I can't remember the poor guy's name, but maybe that's for the best. It's usually easier to cope if you don't know their names.

The rest of us, however, followed Akane's example, and stuck our boots in the ground, and stayed firm, not breaking our resolve, or even bending it, making the small group that follow Akane to this day.

Another big mistake.

Kinoshita targeted me and Amy. I still don't know why. I mean, we weren't close to Akane. If anything, we were the most distant from her in the tightly knit group. Yet she still targeted us. Was it to make an example? Was it a misguided attempt to hurt Akane? Did she think we were closer to our de facto leader than we really are? Was she just irritated on that day, and chose us at random? Being leader of Class A was it's own 'Why?', and it also awarded her with the choice of never having to explain herself. So whatever the reason, Kinoshita sicked Bando and his group onto me, and I've been bullied by them ever since. Amy, meanwhile, was fired from her job, and had to get a new one, but Mr. Matsuoka was nice enough to give her a position in his bar, even if it pays for shit.

Which brings us to today. Me and Amy don't really talk to Akane anymore. We exchange words, sometimes, but we and her group don't talk to each other. Not as much, at least. It's better to keep a distance then to not in these situations. Let her and her 'Rebellion' do what they please. Amy and I will have a part in it no longer.

...

Was that what Kinoshita wanted? To drive a wedge in between us? To splinter the group? I still don't not, and frankly, I no longer care to know. All I wish to know, is how to escape from my hopeless situ-

"Hey! Watch it!"

My trail of thoughts was broken by a man in a business suit, holding a briefcase, barging passed me, and walking up the shrine steps.

Wait, shrine steps?

I looked around. This was not the route back to the apartment. I must've gotten lost in my trail of thoughts, and not paid attention to where I was going.

But still, why would a business man (At least, I assume, because of the suit and briefcase) show interest in a Shinto shrine?

My first, and most logical, assumption is that he is simply going to pray to whatever god he worships, and that he is in a hurry to do so before the storm comes over us. That would make the most sense, I figured, as is wasn't uncommon to see workmen or women in fancy suits and ties up here around this time, praying to the local deity, as was custom to Japan, ever since people started making their own Buddhist offshoots all the way back to after WWII. At least, that is what I believe. I may be wrong, so it's a point of discussion.

I took a step forward, intending to walk again, when another man in a business suit passed me, walking up the steps of the Shinto shrine. And then a woman in a business suit. And then another person in a suit. And then another. And then another.

I looked to my side, to see that a rather fancy looking bus had stopped in the road, and was dropping off about a dozen people in business suits. Or rather, had dropped off, as it was pulling away now, and driving up the road.

Now, I was curious. At least a dozen people in suits had passed me, as well as a few in casual clothing, and they had all marched up the Shinto shrine steps. It was getting dark, and I could see a few shining lights from up the small hill stairway. I could also hear quite a commotion up there, when I listened closely, like when a new ESB at Fumizuki is rumoured or confirmed.

Curiosity got the better of me. I looked to my watch. 5:20. Eh, a quick peak wouldn't hurt.

I walked up the steps, the sounds and lights from up the small hill becoming ever more clearer as I placed one foot after the other. I paid mind to the faded red wooden beams that laid on the sides of the steps. They were worse for wear. I never knew the purpose of those red beams, but I never cared to find out. I was not exactly the religious type, so I had no need to do so. After about 30 seconds, I was at the top of the steps, and visible to the sight that was before me.

A stage had been built on the Shinto shrine, blocking it out from view. A lazily built stage, mind you. It looked like it had been hastily cobbled together. It was about 15 metres long, and 1.5 metres tall. On top of the stage, there was a metal frame, about 7 metres tall, with a row of lights on it, either white or blue. Behind the stage was a giant blue curtain, that covered the back of the frame. Before the stage, there were about 7 rows of chairs, with about 20 chairs in each row. At both sides of the stage, there was a large screen, projecting the logo for Chimera Industries.

Ah, so it is Chimera Industries whom have brought these people together.

Was it or was it not a taboo to build upon a Shinto shrine? I know not, for, like I said, I am not the religious type, so I have limited knowledge of the religious parts of Japanese culture.

I then saw some sort of robot, rolling across the ground, it was coloured in blue and grey, and had a single blue light connected to the top of it. It rolled around on 2 tank treads, and it's body was blocky, yet it barely reached to my waist (Unlike that John boy's avatar, who definitely reached to about waist height). Connected to the drone were what looked like a muzzle, connected to a stubby arm on each side of the small drone. I then looked around, and saw that there were several more of these ground drones (I saw the word 'CEREBRAL' painted on the side of the drone, in all caps, so I assume that that is their designation), as well as a bunch of humanoid robots. This one was about 6 feet tall, and had a stumpy block head, with a single glowing blue eye in it's centre. It was covered in blue and grey markings, and it's limbs were thin, yet armoured. Several blue lights shone across it's body, and in it's arms, it carried what looked like an SMG. It's chest was flat (Kinda like that chick from Class F), yet a single rectangular blue light shone from it, and it had 2 fins protruding from it's back. I then heard a gentle buzzing, unlike that of earlier today, and I looked to the sky to see several flying drones hovering above the event as well, covered in blue and grey markings, with a single rotor build into it's body, keeping it afloat, and it's single glowing blue eye and tiny gun like muzzle trained on the crowd down below.

Ah. So this is a presentation at gunpoint. Of sorts, I guess.

I decided to approached the event, mindful of those who were also gathered there, and the very real danger of being shot should I do something that would upset the security robots. The sun was going down now, and it had gotten quite dark, but I wanted to cite my curiosity first, before I left. Amongst the many people in business outfits, I saw another many in casual clothing. I figured that that meant that this event was a public one. Good thing, because I didn't want to be kicked out, as I had had my fill of injuries for this day.

"Everyone!" I heard a speaker boom, "To your seats please! The presentation is about to begin!"

Many of the people there had already nicked a seat by the time I had arrived, and within 30 seconds, every other seat had been taken. However, there were too few chairs for the many people here, so the rest of us were left standing. I was standing near the front of the crowd. Unfortunate, as I was hoping to go by unnoticed, and it would've been easier to leave if I was nearer the back. On top of that, I had to regularly shuffle my feet just so one of those CEREBRAL drones wouldn't run over my toes. Oh well.

The bright lights dimmed, and the screens at the sides of the stage turned to a dark blue. From the darkness, a large crate (About 2 meters tall) was wheeled onto the stage by one of the humanoid robots, though the crate itself was covered in a dark blue drape. A gentle tune then began to play from the speakers, which felt familiar to me (I would later learn that the tune was called 'Evergreen', by epic soul factory).

Then, after about a minute or 2, the lights brightened again, revealing the whole stage, and the large box on it. The screens then, in unison, projected the logo for Chimera Industries in a harsh bright light, and lit up those sitting in the front few rows. Many of the people (Many, meaning most. I stood in silence, with my arms folded. I saw that a few people in casual clothing were also not clapping, but unlike me, they had rather angry expressions, while I remained neutral) began to loudly clap and cheer, like at a concern, as the gentle music quickly changed to a more upbeat tone. The name of the track still alludes me. The lights then focused to the centre of the stage, and a woman stepped out onto the stage from between the gaps in the curtain, to which the cheering and clapping only got louder and stronger. She looked to be in her late 30s or early 40s, and had long hazel hair, with matching colour eyes (I couldn't see this at first, but in a few minutes, that would become more clear). She had dark bags under her eyes, most likely from a lack of sleep, but she seemed to wear quite a bit of makeup, in an attempt to cover this up. She wore a black dress with blue accents, which reached down to her knees, and it looked like a pocket had been hastily sown onto the dress, as the grey stitches stood out entirely against the black dress.

"Good evening, everyone", the woman said, as the applause finally died down. She spoke with a posh accent, "You may already know who I am-"

I don't.

"-But to those who don't, I am Kobashigawa Hiroe, or Hiroe Kobashigawa, if you're not so lenient on the whole 'last name first' thing-"

Ah.

"-And I am the proud CEO of Chimera Industries, one of the biggest corporate entities of the 21st century!"

A small round of applause followed that little statement. I remained still, and kept a neutral pose. I didn't feel the level of obvious excitement that almost everyone else felt, but I had become even more curious as to what was in the box (I know that's a movie reference, but I can't remember the name of the movie).

"Now", continued Kobashigawa, "Most of you will also know what we are about to unveil, but to those who also don't know, well, I'll keep it a surprise."

Stop egging me on, woman.

"But first, let us address a few things. Before I unveil our newest, life changing product-"

Seriously. Stop. Pls.

"- I must defuse some contradictory, and quite presumptuous statements, claims, and rumours. Yes, we are moving in to the city. Yes, so is our rival, ONI (Unfortunately). Yes, a few things will change. Buuuuut, and this is a big but, only a few. Beyond a few extensions to the already rather impressive skyscrapers that Fumizuki City's got, nothing beyond that will truly change. We are not here to run anyone out of business, we are not here to take over all other companies in the city, we are not here to take over the lives of all who live here, and we are most definitely not here to force you all to work for us. Chimera industries already has established itself in places like London, Paris, Manhattan, Kabul, Cairo, and many other cities across the globe, and it has been purely beneficial to all those involved. We are hear to make your lives better, not to control you and make things worse for you. With all of that out of the way, any questions?"

What looked like a reporter raised his hand. I looked to him, and to my right of the stage, I could see a television camera filming the event. This could be going live. I hesitantly waved to the camera, and it automatically looked to me for a second, before looking at the reporter. The reporter spoke in a firm voice, "How is Chimera Industries allegedly benefiting the people? You say that you're here to make our lives better, but how are you going to go about that?"

Good question.

I looked to Kobashigawa. She seemed to be prepared for this kind of question, as her face briefly lit up, then returned to it's previous setting, "I'm glad you asked that. Really, I am. So, in response to that, I will indulge you. We guys and gals over at Chimera Industries have big plans for Fumizuki. One of the many great things that we going to be doing is, obviously, selling you our top of the line robotics, each type with it's own unique function. You could have a robot walking your dog, or cutting the grass in your garden, or doing your dishes, or whatever you want it to do! We're also working with the local police force, and are supplying them with our own line of law enforcement machines to help put away all of those who impede the development of society. Injury rates of police officers will go down, crime rates go down, arrest rates of criminals will go down, and the streets of not only Fumizuki, but every city and every country across the 7 continents will finally be clean of those who hate all that we are!"

She became more animated as she spoke, her closed fist slamming against her chest as she finished, the crowd cheering as the last word left her lips.

"But, back to Fumizuki, not only will the robots make your lives better in the domestic sense, and in the law sense, but in the work place as well. All those jobs that may bring harm to an average worker, like with molten metal, or radioactive substances? Why not let an expendable robot do all of that? If it's destroyed in said risky and dangerous job, what does it matter? Just get a new one! What about lifting heavy materials? A worker might get hurt on the job lifting heavy, and rather dangerous things like sharp objects and whatnot. Well, why not get a robot to carry it? That way, workers won't get hurt. Employers save money. It's a win-win situation!"

She then looked to the reporter, with a rather smug look on her face. The reporter seemed a bit taken back by this, as he was speedily looking between his IPad and Kobashigawa, his fingers dancing on the screen, trying to catch up with the words of her speech.

"And that, Mr reporter man, is how Chimera Industries is going to help Fumizuki city. Domestic, law, and workplace. All of them improved, and the lives involved in those 3 settings are improved, drastically, and betterly! Even if it isn't a word!"

A small round of applause followed, as another person raised her hand. This girl was in casual clothing, but didn't look like a reporter. She looked more like one of those Tumblr feminists that you would find on 'Rekt Feminist Videos' on YouTube, "What about all of the trees in the local area that are being cut down? By machines made by your company, no less. How does the deforestation of Fumizuki city help us, the general public?"

Another good question.

"Oh, no, that's not for us", said Kobashigawa, "That's for the local council. They wanted to clear out the land to make more houses. For the growing population, apparently. Which I can kind of understand, I guess. Fumizuki city is becoming a big tourist hot spot, and permanent home to a lot of people across the world, so more homes would be needed."

"So, you saying that the deforestation of all of the natural homes in Fumizuki is justified?"

"Wha- no, no no no. No. I don't- I don't believe it's justified, but I am willing to see the reasons behind it. Deforestation is, as a whole, a bad thing, but the local government has it's reasons, which I have just explained."

"So, if you think that it's bad, then why did you go through with it?"

"Oh, well, like I said, I am willing to see the reasons behind it, but also, the deforestation wasn't directly the fault of Chimera Industries. At least, not as a whole. That was a subsection of the materials department, which is itself a subsection of the labour department. A sub-sub-subsection. If you have a complaint to be made, you can talk to me after the show, and I can funnel it through to the manager of the materials department."

"Ah. Thank you", patiently said the woman, as she drifted back into the crowd, seemingly satisfied with her answer.

Huh.

I guess I can be a bit prejudice sometimes.

A man in a business suit, sitting in one of the rows, raised a hand (I would later find out that this man's name was Fujita Masaie, though how I did, you'll find out soon), "Are you willing to partner up with smaller businesses, in order to allow more people to acquire jobs, allow smaller companies to grow, and possibly even boost profits for all those involved?"

Ah, bureaucracy. Always cutting to the money.

At least, I assume.

"Wow, straight to the money, aren't you?" stated Kobashigawa, "Nice attitude. I can see you competing on The Apprentice. As for your question, yes, we are willing to team up with smaller businesses to help them expand into not so smaller businesses. Like you said, more people will acquire jobs, and we all get a little extra money on the side as a 'Thank you for not being bad at business' reward."

A few "Oooohhs" followed.

"Wait, that wasn't sass. I wasn't being sassy. That was- that was me making a point. That's not an appropriate oohing response. The oohing is not needed. You're devaluing the oohs."

No more "Oooohhs" followed.

"Well, I believe that question time has passed. You probably weren't here for that, were you? You're all probably here, right now, for good ol' show and tell!"

A few people cried out "Yes!", while others just nodded in silence. The rest, like myself, just stood or sat silently, unmoved and unchanged.

"Okay, ecstatic crowd, I see", said Kobashigawa, making a light hearted comment on the rather awkward silence, "Well, then, you're gonna be-"

The hastily made stage that Kobashigawa stood on collapsed under her left foot, but she quickly jumped up, and accidently pulled a wire up with her. The wire remained undamaged, however, and quickly slid off of her foot. Kobashigawa quickly landed back on the stage, and played it off by doing the whip nae nae.

Even though no one's done it since 2018.

I think.

I hope.

I seriously hope.

Nowadays its all 'bout that pigeon face.

...

Oh god, what have we become as a society?

Kobashigawa muttered something as she quickly recovered. I don't know what it was, but it seemed to be along the lines of "Fuckin' nailed it", judging by the way her lips moved. She then moved to the large box in the centre of the stage, and grabbed the blue drape that covered it with both of her hands, "Well, ya'll are going to be real ecstatic when you see what's in this pretty lil' thing right here!"

As one of those humanoid robots that I saw earlier walked onto the stage, Kobashigawa pulled the drape from the large box, revealing it in full detail. It was made of metal, with 2 large cylinders built into the back of it, and two pipes that were attached to both the box, and the cylinders. The logo of Chimera Industries was painted in bright blue on the front, and the metal frame of the box was also blue, but a darker shade, and the metal slabs on the box were a gunmetal grey, with glowing blue accents. On one side of the metal crate for a box, there was a small control panel, with a few different coloured buttons, and a small switch. The humanoid robot then pressed a few of the buttons on the control panel, and flipped the switch.

Kobashigawa then dropped the drape, and took a few steps back. The crate then began to hiss, and steam erupted from the edges. The edges of the crate then fell down, and folded in on themselves. The glowing blue details then shut off, and the top of the crate then opened up, with a quarter of the top on each side of the box. With a loud whirl, the sides of the crate then came down, landing on the stage with a gentle thud, steam still erupting from the inside parts of the crate, covering up what was inside it to begin with.

"Ladies and gentlemen", began Kobashigawa, throwing her hands in the air, "Meet the next step, not just in your day to day living, but in society as a whole. The next phase in robotics. The next stage for humanity itself!"

The steam began to dissipate, and the contents of the crate were revealed. To be amazed, and perplexed as to what would be inside would be pretty accurate to describe my initial thoughts of it.

"I present to you... the android!"

It- she- I don't know- was beautiful. It was about 5 and a half feet tall, taller than me, as I was 5 foot 2. It definitely looked like a girl, about maybe a year older than me by looks (I'm about 17 years old, myself). It had natural light milk chocolate coloured skin, and a slim waist. It had about D cup sized breasts, and slim arms and legs. It's hair was long and fluffy looking, and a brownish colour, and she also had long eyelashes, and thin eyebrows. She wore a grey, slim dress, with a long puffy skirt attached to it that reached down to her knees, with a leather harness covering the top part of it's body. It's face was sharp and blemish free, it's nose was smooth and rounded, it's lips were red, and perfectly shaped, and it's eyes were perfectly aligned. However, they were shut, as the android looked down to the ground, with it's hands holding each other in front of it.

I was caught off guard by the machine. It looked so... real. Real, and beautiful. At least, as beautiful as a machine could get. Not that it mattered to me. I had no cares for the physical looks of others. To me, it was the soul that rested behind the physical body that was more important. Probably the Asexuality talking if I'm being honest, though I suppose that it matters little (I remember once that I met this rather peculiar girl. Very strange. Quite fetching appearance. Didn't really talk much, or at all. Kinda looked like the Class A rep until you looked closely. What was most peculiar about her was that she hated compliments on her body. She'd rather have people compliment her soul, rather than her looks. I guess that's where my appreciation of the personality and soul came from. Or was it from my past? I don't really remember the first 10 years of my life, so maybe I was something that happened back then?). I took a harder gaze at the machine, and found it to be not only beautiful...

But creepy.

There was just something so unnerving about it. The idea that a machine, looking exactly like a human, could walk around anywhere, and no one would be able to tell the difference, was actually rather terrifying. It was freaky. It was unsettling. It was a lot of things. And I didn't like it. How would you be able to tell a machine from a human. Would there be differences? What were the differences? It was definitely bordering on revulsion, and had most definitely crossed the line into uncanny valley. It was so unnatural. I couldn't see the point of anyone actually wanting to buy something like this. Something a little... less human, would be much more preferable.

Most of the people in the crowd didn't seem to have a problem with that, though, as they were oohing and awing to their hearts content. The few in the crowd whom felt the same way as I were looking at the android, their eyebrows arched up.

"Now, that", began Kobasigawa, looking rather hyperactive with her fidgeting movements, "That is oohing appropriate", she then took a few steps to the android, and moved her hands to it's general direction, as if to indicate to it, which I'd assume would be what she was trying to do, "This here, is the peak of technological, and scientific engineering. The android is a self-sustaining, self improving, completely obedient and competent technological feat. Capable of learning new skills on the fly, it is fully equipped to start, and complete any task that is given to it. Linked to a hive network known as 'ARCHON', every android produced has access to a variety of neural programs that they can download, that can better help those they serve. Androids are also programmed with complete obedience, and loyalty. They cannot say no, because they're not programmed to do so. The 3 laws of robotics, taken to their most literal sense."

Oh. Comforting.

Not.

What's she's saying doesn't ease my nerves. Not. One. Bit.

"Each android is indistinguishable from a human itself", continued Kobashigawa, "Thanks to ground-breaking advancements in biotechnology. What is special about the android is the fact that, unlike other robotics, it isn't made of metal. No plastic. No steel or iron. The android is made from synthetic flesh itself, with organic veins and arteries for nervous system and motor control wiring, organic CPUs and hard drives, and it's own self sustaining power source. It looks like it's made of flesh, because it is made of flesh. An ordinary person wouldn't be able to tell apart an android from a human, unless they look real closely. They are completely accurate to a human, anatomy wise, which means that they will be able to complete a massive range of tasks. They can do anything, and I mean anything."

...

Disgusting.

You've basically made a life sized sex toy, Kobashigawa. I hope you're proud of yourself.

"The synthetic flesh that androids are made from gives them other advantages as well. The molecules in the skin are much more compact then the skin of a human, and are much more durable and flexible. The artificial bones and nerves in the android are extremely tough, and able to withstand anything. They're also much stronger than the average human, and can lift 5 times as much as your average Joe. They're stronger, faster, tougher, better. They're the next stage in the golden age of robots!"

The crowd went bananas over this. Many began raising their hands, wildly shouting Kobashigawa's name, in hopes of having their many questions answered. Others looked at the android, hoping to acquire one for themselves in the near future. I saw that bureaucrat guy whom had asked Kobashigawa about partnering up smaller companies or whatever... licking his lips?

Eww. Just... just eww.

I however, was prepared to leave. My curiosity had been sated, and I decided that after another minute or 2, I'd make a move back to the apartment. It was already dark, and I'd better get home before Bando and his goons catch up to me. If they're even bothering to look for me anymore.

Probably not.

Maybe not.

...

Hopefully not.

"Now, before ya'll start asking questions for the sake of asking questions, I've got a surprise for all of you", said Kobashigawa, her eyes darting around the crowd in front of the clumsily made stage in excitement, "Today, at this moment, right now, I'll be giving away this very android, the first one Chimera Industries has ever made, to one of you! For free! No terms or conditions apply! Apart for the ones that do!"

The crowd went stark, raving mad over this. But in a good way. At least, for Chimera Industries. As soon as Kobashigawa had elucidated that matter, the crowd began to clap and cheer, some of them yelling Kobashigawa's name, like a jealous ex lover, trying to get her attention, most others waving their hands in the air, trying to shift her attention to them. I even saw that bureaucrat guy throw a punch at someone else, though he missed her.

Time to get outta here before this escalates into a riot.

I turned around, away from the stage and the rows of business people that stood before it, only to find a tightly knit and compact crowd that now stood in front me. I looked along the edge of the crowd, but it seemed to go on forever, along both my left and right. I decided to take a step back, and look for another way to leave, but I almost had the back of my foot run over by a CEREBRAL drone. Seeing no other option, I decided to just barge through the crowd, and shove my way through to the nearest exit out of here. Unfortunately, the crowd of people there didn't like that, as they shoved me back, and I ended up doing a 180 and falling onto the floor, face first.

I'm not too sure what happened in the next 2 minutes I was on the floor. I do remember waking up after a minute and a half. I must've been knocked out from the fall (I will take note that the feeling of a cold metal strip underneath my head might've had something to do with it. I would later find out that this was a metal plate put down to protect the wiring that was on the floor). I do remember hearing Kobashigawa saying something about choosing a winner using a drone, or something. I'm still not sure what she specifically said, since my head was still banging, and I was disoriented. It took me about 30 seconds to mentally recover, and after that, I still needed to pick myself up, physically. The floor beneath me was damp, and I felt the cold, wet, stone and pebble covered ground stain my clothing, and the pebbles embed themselves into my face.

Today was going so well, at first. There I was this morning, thinking it was gonna be... as normal as my day would usually be, then Amy and I decide to show these 4 new Class A second wave guys around the school, then we get caught up in a massive war, and it was all going well, and then I get chased around by Bando and his goons, then I get a black eye, then I, for stupid reasons, decide to waste time in this place, then I almost get my toes run over, and now I'm front first on the floor.

Augh.

I have nothing else to say on the matter.

I started to pick myself up, and brushed myself off, the pebbles that had been embedded into my clothes and skin falling to the floor, back to whence they came. I pulled myself back onto my 2 feet, and looked down myself. My uniform had been stained with water and dirt, and seriously needed a wash. My hands still had the imprint of pebbles in them, and were scrapped and kinda raw in some parts of it, as the first layer of skin at those small parts had been torn, and in a small part of my right hand, I saw a droplet of blood flow down my palm.

Before I could wipe it off, a harsh bright light shone onto me from above, and I shielded my eyes with my hand. At first I thought that aliens had finally had enough of humanity's shit, and had come to kill us all, but when I focused my eyes, I saw that it was one of the drones that was hovering over the event.

I thought to myself, 'Did I do something wrong? Was it going to kill me?'

"Aaaaaaand we have ourselves a winner, ladies and gents!" Kobashigawa's voice rang in my ear as she practically shouted, a few cheers following her as well.

I felt many eyes fall upon me, and I looked around to see all of those at the event staring at me, most of them filled with a silent jealousy. They didn't show it, but I could tell what they were thinking. I looked to the stage, to see Kobashigawa gesturing to me to come up to the stage.

I pointed to myself, still in a bit of a daze, and a bit more confused.

She nodded.

...

Oh.

Ah.

Right.

This is a thing.

"Um, wow, er, okay", I stuttered awkwardly, "I'm a bit unsure as to what exactly is happening-"

"It's simple, kiddo-"

Kiddo.

Hate that.

I don't know why, I just...

I just hate that.

"- You are the super duper uber winner of our little contest! And the grand prize: this pretty lil' thing right here!" Kobashigawa gestured to the android, completely unmoved.

Welp, I'm no longer dazed. When she said that, I was immediately pulled back to reality. I didn't really know how to properly react. I had only come here to sate a curiosity, not to bring home a 5 and a half foot robot. I didn't even want it. I never wanted a machine running about in my abode, and even if it did come to my home, it would only be a sojourn. I trusted not a machine to do the things that I could do, as I felt that would make me lazy, and incompetent. Everyone else can do whatever they please, but I desired to do my own tasks, and not leave them to a lifeless automaton. So the idea of having to babysit a machine so it doesn't wreck the apartment is not my idea of a happy living situation (It's already pretty shit, so that would hardly be any better).

I put my hands in front of me, waving them around slightly as I said "Oh no, wait, I didn't- I mean I don't want-"

"Oh, come on, short stuff-"

Ow.

"-Get up here onto the poorly made spotlight (Whoever made this stage is seriously getting fired)."

I was about to say something again, but I heard a CEREBRAL drone roll up behind me, and then I felt it push against the back of my legs, shoving me towards the stage.

"Wait hold on- OW! Bloody hell, tell your pet- Oi, that's the back of my- you're scraping the back of my foot- OW! Alright, I'm moving, I'm moving. Jesus Christ..."

It took a minute to walk (Or get shoved, depending on your perspective) up to the stage. An agonising, extremely awkward minute. I could practically taste the resentment coming off of all of the others at this event, their eyes glued to me in a tranquil rage. When I eventually got onto the stage, I was sweating from the tension of the situation alone, much less everything else. I look to the android. It still hadn't moved at all. It was really unnerving. I then noticed that there was some sort of cable like device strapped into it's back by the leather harness. The cable glowed with electricity, and was humming at a soft pitch, almost like when someone hums a tune.

I looked at Kobashigawa. She looked like she was positively beaming with excitement, and looked to me with a wide smile on her face. However, I finally got a good look at her eyes, and they seemed... tired.

No. Not tired. Almost... sad. Her eyes gave off a feeling of sadness. But why? These was a machine that she selling, right? Granted, one that was made of synthetic flesh, or whatever, but still, a machine. Nothing more, nothing... less...

Could it...

Was it...

...

Maybe it was a question that shouldn't be asked, or even answered.

I didn't want to ask. If I asked, and if she told me, I probably wouldn't have understood it either way. When people say that they understand your situation, they really don't. They just say it to make you feel better. I hate that. I hate it when they say that. How could they understand if they haven't experienced it? When people tell me they understand how I feel, I mentally slap them, because they don't, and they never will.

Yeah, I'm a cynical bastard. Fight me.

I looked at Kobashigawa, rather unsure on what to do. After an awkward moment, I stumbled out a sentence, "Um, okay then, um, look Ms- it's 'Ms', right?- Look, Ms Kobashigawa (Hope I pronounced that right), I didn't- I mean I still don't- want an android, or a machine, or whatever."

"Aw, why not?" asked Kobashgawa, her exterior unchanged, save for a fake pout on her face.

"Oh, er, well, I don't really fancy the idea of having to babysit a robot and make sure that it doesn't trash my home."

"Oh, well, that isn't possible. Androids are built with basic programming limitations, so-"

"Yeah yeah yeah, well, that reason, and the-"

"You're on camera by the way."

"Wha- oh", I turned around, and saw the camera looking at me, "Are we- oh, we're live. This is live. Everyone's watching this at home. Hi, all of the peoples", I waved at the camera, and I think the camera guy waved back. Christ, if everyone at Fumizuki Gakuen is watching this, then they're not exactly going to be hanging out the bunting tomorrow, are they?

"So, what was the other reason?"

Christ, I wish that Amy was here right now. She would be able to say what I wanted to say for me, so that's good. Unfortunately, she's not here right now, so, uncomfortably, I'll have to say what I have to say by myself.

"Oh, right, yeah, well, there's the first reason, and then there's the fact that I don't agree with the idea of letting a robot do all of the things that I can do, but worse. Why should I let a machine do all of my things when I could, and still can, do them myself? If I let a machine do all of my work, then it'll only do it worse than what I've already done, and I'll become lazy and decrepit. I'd rather not. I'm good doing what I do, and how I do it. I won't sacrifice myself to the wants of modern capitalist and consumerism just because you showed me something shiny and new."

Christ, that felt cheesy as fuck.

Was that cheesy as fuck?

I think it was. That's why I said it felt cheesy as fuck.

Kobashigawa was looking at me without a happy go exterior, now. She seemed rather... I don't know.

Disappointed? Exasperated? Sad... er?

I don't know.

"Aw", she said, her fake pout gone, and her lips curled into a genuine frown. She still tried to keep up her chirpy, charismatic tone of voice, but it wasn't as strong as before, "Really?"

"Really", was my response, "So, with that little bit of derring do derring done, I shall take my-"

Was God real? I don't know. I really don't know. I've never given a thought to it. Well, not really willingly. Every time I've tried to do so, something in my head has always redirected my mind to, well, anything else entirely. But, if he was real, I'm pretty sure that he hated me. He hated me a lot. Like everything and everyone else, apparently. Or, he just thinks of me as a twisted comedy show, where the beatings, both physically, and mentally, were funny. I think it might be a strong mix of both, because while I was speaking, as soon as I had spun around, the poorly made stage beneath my left foot collapsed, and my foot went right through the stage, tangling itself in the wires below it.

It hurt. It hurt quite a bit. I heard a few people in the crowd gasping in surprise, but everyone else just stood there unsure of what to do oh real great help you fragging lot are, lemme just say. Kobashigawa, on the other hand, was panicking, and grabbed my shoulders, trying to pull my foot out of the hole in the stage, and trying to pick me up after I fell over. Did I mention that I fell over? No? Okay. I fell over when my foot went through the stage.

Seriously, today is not my day.

I felt a few wires on my foot strain and stretch as I tried to pull it free. Kobashigawa had lifted me up at this point, and was helping in trying to pull my foot free from it's prison. To be honest, the average person of my age would probably be able to get free from this sort of thing rather easily, and just pull their foot free with one swoop, but, since I'm regularly malnourished, I'm weak, both physically, and unfortunately, mentally.

As I got up onto my right foot, and began to reposition my body upright, I felt a few wires snap and break as my foot became lose. My left foot then suddenly shot up, and I stumbled back for a moment, before grabbing something for support with my right hand. Whatever I grabbed for support, it felt, somewhat soft, and smooth, and even... fleshy?

Wait a minute...

I looked behind me, to see that I had grabbed hold off the arm of the android that had been presented to the crowd, and, when I pulled away my hand, I saw that the droplet of blood that had been on my palm now stained it's arm red. I then saw that the cable that had been attached to the back of the android had stopped humming, and had detached itself from the leather harness on it's back, and fell to the ground with a thud. The harness then followed suit, though it fell a bit more quietly then the cable. The hair of the android then seemed to glow a faint blue for a second, and it's veins lit up in a bright white light for a few moments, before turning itself off. I then saw that the sections of the veins near the blood stain on the android's arm had glowed for a few seconds longer than anywhere else, before it too died down.

Not quite sure how to react to all of this, but okay.

Then, the android's eyes opened with a flutter, and it's head raised up to look at the crowd in front of it. It then turned, and faced me, allowing me to see it's eyes, which were a natural light brown colour. The way it moved didn't really seem robotic. It looked more fluent, and human, as it gently and slightly rocked and fidgeted in place as it stood still or moved. That alone made it seem all the more disturbing to me.

It looked at me, tilted it's head, and smiled.

"Hello."

It said hello. I wasn't sure whom too, for a moment, but then I realised it was to myself. It spoke with a sweet voice, like honey, but it also wasn't sickly, and fake, like Akane's slutty excuse for a sister's voice. The android's tone seemed natural, and soothing, yet it also seemed lifeless, and flat. More icing for the unnerving cake, I guess.

"I am Maya-000. I am a Chimera Industries produced synthetic biological self-sustaining helper robot, or android."

I think I'mma stick with 'android'. Biological self sustaining whatever whatever is a tad bit of a mouthful.

"Are you my master?"

Huh, kinky.

Oh.

Wait.

Pardon?

Am I her- it's what?

It would suffice to say that I'm a tad bit taken back by this.

"Um, could you... cold you please repeat that last part?" I replied.

"Of course, master. Are you my master?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought. And now let me just give you a proper and legitimate response to that question. NO."

"I am... sorry?"

The android- Maya, I guess- seemed confused. Could a robot get confused? I guess if you ask it the purpose of existence, then a robot could get real confused, so I guess they can.

"I'm not your 'master'. I'm not your anything."

"I... do not understand."

Seriously?

I turned to Kobashigawa, who was herself rather perplexed herself over what had just happened over the last 2 minutes, "Hey, quickie question: how do I turn this thing off?"

"Um, what?" looks like she's taking her time processing all of this.

"Is there an off button on this thing or something?"

I sound like an asshole. I'm not trying to be. I'm not trying to sound like an asshole. It's just how I sound, I guess. It's a natural exterior that I've put up against strangers I don't know. That, and a purposely made mask to hide what I really am, and how I really feel. There are very few people who have actually seen past this...

Except for John and his crew. The new guys. The ones who Amy and I showed around today.

I didn't have this mask when I was with them. I had a mask of lively innocence, or something. Why? I've never done something like that before. Never worn a face of fake innocence, but one that was rough, arrogant, cynical, self loathing and general loathing. So, why did I do that? And why does it feel like I've seen them before?

Who were they?

My attention shifted by to the android, as I decided to reach try and find a button or something on it's back, "Well, you're no help, Ms Kobashigawa, since you haven't really given an answer, so I'm just gonna find a button or something myself", I shifted my hand to it's back, then slowly moved it lower and lower (Yes yes, I'm moving my hand to it's butt. Hardy har. Shut up), "I doubt the button's here, but it's better to search everywhere then nowhere at-"

A hand then grabbed my right arm, squeezing it in a tight grip. I fell back slightly, moving myself from my previous position to see whom had taken hold of my limb. I looked to my arm, and then to the hand that held it in an iron grip. My eyes looked from the hand to across the arm that held the hand, then to it's point of origin. It then came to my realisation, that the one whom held my arm was the android. It's smile was gone, and it's face was blank, and neutral. Yet, I could tell that beneath that face was rage... okay, maybe not that extreme, but definitely anger.

"What do you think you are doing, master?" it asked, in a blank, flat voice, that was rather terrifying. I think a few people were cheering it on. I don't know wherever they think I was trying to grab it's ass, or if they were just cheering out of spite. I personally think it's a bit of both.

"Wait, no, please, I wasn't trying to, I don't know, sexually assault you, or anything! I was just trying to find an off button and I guess that doesn't help my case since I suppose you like being on instead of off!"

That was a stupid defence. I put up a stupid defence. I should come up with a better one, but, in situations like this, I'm not exactly the definition of grace under fire.

"Don't listen to him!"

"He's a pervert!"

"Gut him!"

"Kill the little cunt!"

"I like yelling stuff!"

That was the crowd, by the way, in case you didn't catch on.

I guess I can see where they're coming from. I'd somebody to get axed if they looked like a pervert.

Yeah, I'm not a good person. I'm a bad person. I'm a selfish, idiotic, self loathing person, but that doesn't mean I don't have basic moral standards. If somebody's acting like a complete pervert, and trying to grope people, I say to the slammer they go. So, if I start acting like a pervert, and start groping people, I'd willingly hand myself in. However, I wasn't intentionally trying to grope anyone. I just made a mistake, and now people are calling for me to get killed, either out of their own reasons, or actually good intentions. Can't say I blame them.

"They are calling for me to kill you", said the android- said Maya- it's face unchanged, "Should I go through with it?" it moved it's arm up, pretty threateningly.

At this point, I lost it. I don't usually lose it this easily, but in this case, I'll make an exception.

"I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I WAS JUST TRYING TO FIND AN OFF BUTTON AND I DIDN'T MEAN ANYTHING BY IT I WASN'T TRYING TO HURT YOU PLEASE DON'T HURT ME PLEASE I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

Wow.

Just... just wow.

Ain't I a pussy?

But, what I said about not wanting to die was true, along with everything else. I've excepted long ago that we're all gonna die, and be forgotten in the history of the universe, but that doesn't mean I want to. Does that make me a coward? Normally, no, but, considering my gracious outburst just now, I think I might be.

A coward, I mean.

Maya brought it's face close to mine, looking me dead in the eyes. The crowd kept cheering as a few moments past by, with neither of us moving an inch.

Then, it pulled her face away from mine, and said, "You are telling the truth."

Um, thank you, I guess?

It released my arm, allowing me to grasp it, as I tried to rub the smarting bruise on my arm. A few in the crowd started to boo, but the rest became silent, and slightly awkward. Maya looked at me, and suddenly, it tilted it's head to the side, as a sad face began to form where it was once blank, "You are hurt. I hurt you."

"It's okay", I replied, though the fact that I was rubbing the bruised part of my arm didn't really help my point, "This is nothing."

That wasn't a lie. I've experienced worse.

"I am sorry."

"It's okay, um, Maya, was it?"

"Yes, master."

"(Aaaand, you've just killed it) It's okay, Maya. I don't blame you. You were just acting in self defence."

"But I am an android. I cannot bring harm to someone. It is against my programming. The 3 laws were embedded into my software."

"Huh, okay then. Well, the 3 laws can't really protect people, can they?"

"You are hurt. In other places. Those injuries were not the fault of this unit."

"Eh, I can live with it."

"You have a bruised eye, a bloody nose, a cut palm, a bruised hand, a split lip, and a-"

"I'm fine."

"No you are not."

"Really, I am."

"Allow me to assist-"

Before it could finish it's sentence, a blue flash of lightning surged through Maya, shocking her with volts of electricity. It didn't make a sound, but it's face contorted to one of pain, before dropping to the ground, deactivated. I looked to the source of the bolt of electricity, and saw Kobashigawa holding an electric staff, with a Taser like attachment on both ends of it, brimming with energy.

Oh. I had forgotten she was there.

I didn't say a word. At least, for now. I was rather perplexed on what to do next. It seemed that Kobashigawa was the same. At least, for less longer than I. After a few moments of silence, she signalled to behind the curtain, and 2 humanoid robots came walking out, and carried Maya off, while Kobashigawa just looked back at me.

"I am really, really sorry about all of this. I didn't- I mean, I never- wanted to ruin your event, or presentation, or whatever. I just wanted to sate a curiosity", I said earnestly.

"And what curiosity was that, I wonder?" sarcastically said Kobashigawa.

Great, now I feel like an even bigger jackass than I did before.

"Well, I was walking past, and I saw people in business suits walking up the steps, and there were a lot of them, and I was wondering what they were all doing and then I decided to follow them out of, well, curiosity, and now, here we are."

Kobashigawa arched her eyebrow.

I looked at her with a sincere face.

She arched her eyebrow further.

I remained the same.

Further.

Same.

Further.

Same.

Somehow she was able to arch her eyebrow so far that she achieved new levels of eyebrow archyness. Even if it's not a word.

"Oh, you are lucky that I'm in a good mood today, otherwise I'd so sue your butt so hard that the suing would become a meme in of itself!" Kobashigawa stated.

I don't think you can outright sue people in Japan so easily like in other places. Like America. This quickly took me back to earlier today, where someone had told me that one of the new guys, Andre, had stood up to the Ironman, and threatened to so his ass if he ever... I don't know what it was that Andre was defending against Ironman, but this girl who told me- Aika Abe of Class E- seemed to really have a thing for him. Or they admired him, or something. I don't know. I'd say that after that, word got out, and people began to really admire him. I don't know if it was either because he stood up to Ironman, or if it was because of the fact that he was a foreign student. To be honest, I don't really care enough to find out.

This little situation I've gotten myself into, on the other hand...

"Oh, well, I'm, um, unsure of to to react to that", I replied, rubbing my right hand behind my head. I then winced, and pulled away my hand, inspecting it, as the cut had yet to heal, and was still raw. I looked to the crowd beyond the stage. To be honest, I'd forgotten that they were there, "Um, hey, every peoples."

"Gut him!"

...

"Gut him!"

"I'm not a sexual pervert, thing, or whatever!"

Seriously, I have standards. When that whole peeping thing broke out at the training camp way back when, I stayed out of that fight (I had Pornhub to satisfy my needs), so I was one of the few boys to be allowed to remain in the school for the 2 weeks that everyone else was suspended for. That was a very quite week. That was a very good week.

"I... think it would be best if you left", said Kobashigawa.

"...Yes, I think that would be best", I returned, looking at Kobashigawa, then to the crowd, then back to Kobashigawa, "Um, what's gonna-"

"The android will be fine. We'll just wipe it's memory, or scrap it, or whatever", she stated, sounding either disappointed or relieved.

"Aw, don't scrap it!" went the Bureaucrat lip licking guy, "I'll still buy it!"

The same thought popped into both mine and Kobashigawa's heads.

""...Wut.""

After that cock up of a presentation? That was Michael Bay walking off of Samsung CES press conference stage worthy. Why would he still wanna buy it?

"Oh, what the hell?" called out another person in the crowd, "I'll take it just so I can rub it in people's faces."

"Oi, fat chance!"

"Bring it on! I want that thing!"

"Same here!"

"Me too!"

Huh. Never doubt the stupidity of the average consumer, apparently. They'll buy anything, regardless of the presentation.

I looked at my right hand, then looked down at myself. I really needed to see a doctor. I looked back to Kobashigawa. She looked tired. I decided that it would be best to leave now, rather than later. While everyone was distracted, I walked off of the stage, and began to walk around the crowd. I think a few people noticed me, but they seemed to care little, and their attention was deflected back to the stage.

As I walked back down the steps from the Shinto shrine, a drop of water fell onto my face. I looked up, and saw that the dark storm clouds were now passing over the city, as another drop of rain fell onto me. I then accelerated to a race-walking speed, and went to the nearest hospital that I was familiar with: Natsu Hospital.

Actually, to say I was familiar with it wouldn't be the whole truth. I was actually known there by the few people who worked there. They were nice and all, but they sometimes pulled that 'I know how you feel' crap, and well, you know how I feel about that.

By the time I had gotten to the hospital, it was already starting to spit with rain, and a thunder clap had past about 2 minutes before I got there. Nastu Hospital was located in the suburbs of Fumizuki city, and as such, it was largely only visited by people who lived close to it, meaning that it was relatively small, hence why there were few people who worked there. It was about 2 stories tall, as long as about 3 busses, and as wide as a single bus.

When I got there, I waited for a few minutes, before I was seen to by Doctor Hachirou Tsuchiya (The uncle of the great Muttsurini himself. Or was it Voyeur?) in his office. He and I knew each other a bit, and we were on friendly terms with each other. We would even talk to each other a little bit on parent's evenings if we ever encountered one another.

As he cleaned my sores with a medical wipe while I sat on an operating chair, he said, "You've had a rough day, haven't you?"

"Yeah, a bit", I replied, feeling rather exasperated with the day. At this point, I just wanted to go home, and go to bed.

He then put the used wipes into a bin, got a cotton ball and poured a drop of some medical liquid onto it, and dabbed it onto my bruised eye, while he stated, "I saw that presentation you know. While it was live on the TV."

"I swear, I'm not a pervert."

"I know, I know. We all heard you."

"Oh. Joyous."

He finished dabbing my eye with the cotton ball, and said, "This should stop any infection from forming, so you won't have to worry about sepsis. Just try not to put anymore strain on yourself for the next 24 hours."

"Thanks, Hachirou. I appreciate it."

He looked at me sternly, "You should really talk to someone about this."

"...We've talked about this before, Doctor, and we both know how this talk ends."

"I know."

"Then why keep pressing it?"

"Because someone has too, if not me, then someone else."

"It's a hopeless cause."

"Better to lose fighting for a good cause then not fighting at all."

"...I guess."

"You guess?"

"I guess that's a good point that you made."

"Oh."

"Yeah... So, breaking the silence before it even forms, how's the great ninja pervert himself doing?"

"Oh, Kouta's fine", Hachirou said, while I found it amusing that he automatically knew who I was referring to, "He's still to shy to confess that he's got a thing for that green haired girl though."

"Aiko?"

"Yeah, her."

"Hm", Muttsurini really needed to pick better people to have a thing for.

The door to the office opened, and a girl my age stepped through. She had short, messy brown hair, and bluish grey eyes. She was just a few centimetres taller than me, and had etiolated white skin. She wore a female bartender uniform, a necklace with a fake diamond attacked to it, an old, worn out running band around her left wrist, and quite a bit of makeup, though she was rather damp, and her makeup had run. I was, honestly speaking, quite surprised to see her here, though I'm not quite sure why.

"Amy?", I said to my elder sister, "What are you-"

Before I could finish my pointless question, Amy approached me and hugged me tightly in a solicitous fashion, even though I still sat on the operating chair, making me move into a rather uncomfortable position, just so I could let her wrap her arms around me. I sighed, and wrapped my arms around her, returning the warm embrace. That did make my arms rather damp, but I didn't really care.

"Are you okay?" Amy asked frantically, obviously worried about me.

"I'm fine", I said, unsure myself of if I was telling the truth, or just lying to myself, "How did you know I was here?"

"Doctor Sander called me."

Doctor Sander Shimada. Less of a doctor, more like a psychiatrist. The father of that crossdressing guy from Class F. Kinda ironic that I know more of the parents of Class F students, than I actually know Class F students.

"So..."

"So?"

A thunder clap followed. and Hachirou opened the blinds to see a downpour of rain crash against the window.

"So you walked all the way here, in that downpour?"

"Well, I took a taxi as well, and I had to make a pit stop back home, but, yeah. Kinda."

"Well, what did-"

"Mr. Matsuoka was okay with it."

"Oh, Amy", I said, as I kissed her forehead, and held her closer as she began to shake, indicating that she was cold.

"You know, you should take some pills if you catch a-"

"Don't kill the moment, Hachirou."

"Sorry."

After a few moments of warm embrace, Amy and I decided that it was time for both of us to leave. After taking a bottle of cold medicine just in case, for Amy's sake, we went to the main desk in the central office, where Doctor Sander was sitting. I placed 3000 yen on the desk, and said, "Here. For today."

Both Amy and Sander looked at me, with questioning faces. Sander, with a heavy German accent, spoke first, "Where did you get that?"

They weren't use to me actually paying. Considering the situation Amy and I were in, I wouldn't expect so, too.

"What? I'm paying. I had debts. I still do. I'm still have debts to this place. This is me paying for this walk in so it doesn't add up to those already existing-"

"Where did you get the money?"

"I found it."

I stole it.

"Where did you find it?"

"Lying around."

I nicked it from Kubo's wallet this morning when he put it on a desk, while he was talking.

"Really?"

"Really."

Deja vu.

Amy looked at me, "Be honest", she said.

"I am", I said with a straight face, trying not to give myself away.

"Humph, sure", she went as she turned around and walked to the door. I wanted to make a quip. I wanted to say something witty in response, but all I could think of was to just stick my tongue out at her while her back was turned. How mature of me.

I looked at Sander, said goodbye, and walked to the door myself, paying no heed to Sander's suspicions of it being dirty money. As I walked to the door, I saw a boy and a girl arguing with each other in the waiting area. By the looks of it, they might've been a couple. I let myself express a wry grin. I had a bit of a voyeuristic pleasure in seeing other people fight. It just made me feel better about my life than others. I'm sure anyone who's ever watched real housewives of whatever could attest.

I got to the door, and Amy handed me my coat. It seemed that while she made that stop back home, she had grabbed my coat as well. I looked at her, and said, "Thanks", before putting it on, and opening the door. It was bloody teeming down, and Amy didn't have a coat herself.

I knew what she was doing, but at this point, I didn't really care, though I won't give her exactly what she wanted. I took the coat off, and placed it above my head like an umbrella. I looked at Amy, and she looked at me. She seemed somewhat disappointed, though she tried to hide it. I looked at her with a face that made it obvious that she had erred. It was a face that read 'I know what you were doing and I foiled it'. She blushed in wordless reply. I then rolled my eyes and gestured to the side of me. We exchanged looks, and wordlessly, she caught on, and grabbed the right hand side of my coat, while I held onto the left. We then ran out of the hospital, ignoring Sander's aphorisms that he was throwing at us. The rain splashed against our faces as we ran, though the majority of it fell onto my raincoat. Thank god it was waterproof. We then ran into a bus shelter, catching our breath. A flash and clap of thunder followed my next words, "Not the most well thought plan ever."

"No, I suppose not", was Amy's response. My sister was one of the few people that I knew at Fumizuki Academy whom I didn't have to feel unnaturally obsequious around, and was one of the fewer people who I felt completely comfortable around, even if I was still naturally obedient so she was always a pleasure to see and be around, in stark contrast to the ire and insouciance of everyone else in the school, even if she, well, yeah. I once again thought back to the new group of students that had joined Class A today. For some reason, I had felt rather comfortable around them as well, but I also kept up that whole politeness mask when I was around them too. That in of itself didn't help my confusion on them and about them.

I saw a security camera looking at us both. No doubt a lifeless, dumb AI, or a moribund person, ensconced into a bed or chair, was watching us. I had learnt that the big hospital in the city, Fumizuki A&E (Wow, such an original name) had started getting dying patients with no hope of survival comfortable, and had just started letting them watch TV until their lights flicker out. The immobile ones, in particular, were given access to the entire CCTV network of the whole city and the surrounding areas, as a sort of petty joke that they cannot ever move around again. This made them feel angry and petty themselves, and as a sort of act of jealousy, they started hogging doctors and nursing staff to themselves, so that the more mobile patients couldn't be treated. For a short time, they also became the heads of a smear campaign to attack the corrupt government, but, well, you can guess how that ended.

I was brought out of my thoughts by Amy accosting me. It seemed that she had been speaking while I wasn't listening, "Hey, Riley, I said it's better to move now than later."

"You serious? The apartment is like 3 miles away. We'll be soaked, and I don't want the stuff in my bag to get wet."

I still had my bag on. Did you forget?

"We're already soaking wet anyway", she replied, "A little more rain won't kill you."

No, but it might give me hypothermia.

"Ugh. Fine", I grabbed the left side of my coat once more, as Amy grabbed the right.

Once again, we ran through the rain, down the streets, all the way back to our apartment. Rarely did we stop, as there were very few places that we could without being exposed to the cold rain, so to say we were out of breath when we got home would've been the greatest of understatements. We were wheezing and panting when we arrived at the apartment, weighted down by the weight of the water that had been absorbed by our clothes.

"That could've also gone better", I quipped (I've wanted to make a quip since we left the hospital) as I took my bag off.

"I'm aware of that, Riley", returned Amy, "Though, like I said, a little more rain won't kill you, and did it kill you?"

"No, it didn't."

"Therein ends the lesson."

"Bloomin' 'eck, you can be a real pain sometimes."

"You love it."

"No, I don't. I find it rather annoying."

She stuck her tongue out at me in response. It runs in the family, apparently. I just rolled my eyes at her, and took my shoes off, and placed them on the nearest radiator to dry. I then walked through the large room that made up both the kitchen and the living room, and went into the kitchen section, before taking my clothes off, save for my underwear, and placing them into a basket. I then noted the other bits of clothing that were lying randomly across the floor, along with other bits of rubbish, and decided to tidy up a bit. It turned out that Amy had the right ideas as me, as she emerged from her room, dressed in a bra and undies, and with her wet clothes in her hands. She added them to the pile that I had formed, and began to help me pick up the dirty clothes that laid on the floor too, until we'd wordlessly determined how much we could put into the washing machine. Once that was done, and our dirty clothes were in the washing machine, I went into my room, and threw on some lounging around clothes, while Amy seemed content in hanging around in the bare minimum. I sighed to myself as I grabbed my bag, and placed it onto the small table that we had in the living room section. Ever since we found each other 6 years ago, I've learnt when in private, my sister is a bit of a 'Less clothes, more skin' kinda girl (This hasn't been very helpful during a few awkward walk ins).

Amy walked over to me, with a querying look on her face, "Your bag looks heavy. I thought Yuuko took back all of the stuff that we took from the fridge this morning? (I told you that plan wouldn't work anyway)."

"She did? (So that's why my bag was empty of all of that stuff when I got back). Well, I guess we're both lucky that I had to stay late today", I said, as I unzipped my bag, and emptied it's contents onto the table; a comic book about Dead Space, a few sheets of paper, a water bottle, and about a dozen packets of whatever the hell you would find in a fridge.

"Wow. How the hell did you get all of this stuff?"

"Easy. I just went back to Class A, hid myself from anyone that I could see, all Metal Gear Solid style, took what I could from the fridge, and booked it before anyone saw me. Not before I grabbed my bag, of course."

"Dope."

"What? Who even says that nowadays?"

"Me. I say it. I said it just now, and I will continue to do so until the word is considered cool again (Not that that'll ever happen)."

"Um, alright then."

"Damn right."

I decided to move past this conversation, and grabbed 2 handfuls of the foods that I had nicked from Class A, transporting them to the fridge. Amy helped too, grabbing the last handful, and placing them into the fridge as well. I looked around the room when I closed the fridge door. It was bare, with only the bare minimum items needed to live in a semblance of comfort. The table in the living room bit of the room was round and small, with 2 chairs next to it, and 2 other chairs put together, and sitting in the middle of the room facing the wall, with a few books on both sides of them. There was a small picture frame hanging from the wall, with me and Amy in it, smiling at each other (We had that photo taken about 3 years ago, I reckon), and there was also a poster of Imagine Dragons on the wall as well, though it was old, and torn. To be honest, all Amy does in relation to that poster is point out the worst in anything relating to Imagine Dragons, so that make's for pretty dreary evenings. There was a shelf near the window, with quite a few books in them, and the window had dark blue curtains and a grey blind.

Amy asked if I wanted anything for dinner. I told her that I'd rather skip for tonight. I was suffering from a malaise that made me just want to have a lie down. I excused myself, and departed to my room, where I immediately jumped onto the bed. My room was rather messy, to be honest. I had magazines, books, a few dirty clothes, and the my DVD collection of all seasons of Star Wars the Clone Wars scattered all over the floor. My bed was essentially just a mattress with a quilt and pillow on it, and the only forms of entertainment that I had in the room was a small TV with no access to any channels save for a DVD player, and a hell of a lot of reading material. There was several neat stacks of clean clothing in one corner of the room, and a tiny shelf where I kept most of my books. Next to my mattress bed, there was a small lamp, a board of wood I used as a surface where I could write in vitriol over all of the people that I hated at Fumizuki, and an alarm clock with no batteries in it. I didn't really need it. My mental alarm always woke me up at the right time, so I rarely ever used it.

I took my watch off of my wrist, and looked at the time on it. 7:30. Huh. Time flies. I won't say when you're having fun, but still, it flies anyway. I placed it to the side of my room, and laid still on the bed. My eyes were getting heavy. I was really out of it, after the craziness of today, and the recent imbroglios, so I really needed some shut eye. As I began to nod off, Amy leaned in through the door, and looked at me, "Er, Riley, I think there's a reporter outside."

"What?"

"I think there's a reporter outside."

"Are you sure?"

She left for a minute, then came back in, "Well, he's got a notebook, a pen behind his ear, a real fancy suit, and some dude with a big ol' camera, so my money's on probably."

{KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK}

There was a loud knocking all the way at the front door, followed by a, "Hello? It's Akifumi Ono from Channel 5 News. I was hoping if you could answer a few questions?"

Well, at least she didn't let them in.

"Did you open the door to them?"

"No, I looked through the peephole, but I think they might've heard me."

"Oh, well that's not good."

{KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK}

"Hello? I heard you. I know you're inside."

"Ah shite", I said.

"They're probs not gonna leave, you know? Not until we talk to them", said Amy.

"Or till they get bored."

"Either way, they're not gonna go very soon."

"How do we know they're reporters? They could be anyone."

"True. So, what do we-"

"Oh, get in here, we'll just wait them out."

"Oh, right."

She walked in as I sat up front, and we both waited for the reporter to take his leave. I reckon it was about an hour before he left, as Amy didn't leave my room till about 8:30. There was nobody at the door anymore, so we reckoned it was fine. By then, I was even more fatigued then before, and just wanted to sleep, but Amy was being quite solicitous about my health, and she came back in with a glass of water, and wanted to see if I wanted to call in sick for school tomorrow. I told her no, as because of my recent imbroglio, I felt it would be better to confront them sooner rather than later. Plus, somebody needed to help those new guys down the right path. When Amy left my room, I laid in bed for about half an hour before I fell into a quiet slumber. When it comes to sleep, it usually takes me quite a while to drift off, even if I'm really tired, so I just end up laying in bed for a good amount of time before finally dozing off.

Within my mindscape as I slept, my memories and imagination formed a dream, or a nightmare, from the blackness of the night. I don't really remember much about it, but from what I can gather, I was in a dark room, made of metal and evil, and I was chained down by shackles. A door in the room opened, and figures of blackness who shrouded themselves in God's grace approached me. They did things to me. Things my mind can't recall. But then, a monster came, killed them, and saved me. The monster freed me from God's sin. Then, it all dissolved away.

This part, I remember more clearly. I was surrounded by darkness, with a single source of light that kept it all away. Then, a figure approached me. A figure of light and pure intent. A figure who acted with pure love in their heart for me. I didn't fight away the figure. I didn't wish to shoo it away. I welcomed it with open arms. It then held my hand, and uttered a single word.

"Master."

I woke up at that part, my eyes fluttering open, but I remained still and unmoving. Was this sleep paralysis? I wiggled my toes. No, it wasn't. Okay, good. Now to focus on the issue at hand. What was that dream? What did it mean? I can feel the memory of it slipping away, fragments of it lost forever into the void of my mind. But I can still remember that last part. When the figure said that last word. Why? Could it have a correlation with what happened today? Did I even use that word correctly? I hope so, otherwise I've just made myself out to be a bigger plonker that I already am.

Why am I even paying so much attention to a dream? They're just random pictures and signals of past experiences and wild imaginings moulded together to make a weird twisted logic defying experience within our minds. They don't really hold any real meaning. Yes, I know there are those dream meaning articles on the internet, but still, when has anything on the internet told the truth?

I moved my left hand to the side of the bed, and grabbed my watch. I turned on the light on the watch. 2:37 in the morning. Ugh. Stupid dream woke me up way to early in the damn morning. I tried to reposition myself in the bed, but found that my right hand was caught on something. I didn't know what, so I tried to move it, and it broke free rather easily from it's grasp. But then, it was caught again in a stronger, yet gentle trap. I was confused, so I turned myself onto my other side to see what was holding my hand. When I looked, I saw through the darkness a figure knelling besides my bed, holding my hand in both of it's palms, and it's light brown eyes looking down upon me.

A scream was what came out of my lips next. A very long, very loud scream.

Amy came busting into my room less then 20 seconds later, flipping the light switch, and going, "Riley?! What the hell are you- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"..." was the figure's only response.

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"..."

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"..."

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"..."

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"..."

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"..."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuugggggghhhhhh..."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuugggggghhhhhh..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...aaaaaauuuuuugggggghhhhhh."

Wow. How unenthusiastic.

After I let my eyes adjust to the light, I looked at the figure to see that it was the android- Maya- from the presentation that I was at yesterday, still sporting the red blood mark on it's arm that I left. The first thing that popped to my mind was, "WHAT THE HELL?!"

"That is a very rude thing to say, master", said Maya.

"That's mighty easy for you to say! Why the hell are you here?!"

"Um, Riley", began Amy, "What the hell is-"

"Hey, I'm just as confused as you!" I replied earnestly.

"What the hell is going on, and who is that?"

"Wha- oi, what did I just say?!"

Maya turned around, and looked at Amy. I saw Amy's eyes widen then as she said, "Hey, you're that- tha- that android! From that presentation that Riley was at!"

Oh yeah, Amy said that she saw it on the TV at the bar that she works at. Why they didn't have it on the sports channel as usual, I don't know.

"Correct", bluntly replied Maya.

"Didn't he turn you down? You know, after making an idiot of himself."

Self esteem, targeted, and crippled.

Not that I had any.

"Correct", Maya replied again.

"Then why are you here?"

"To be with my master."

"What?" I asked, "But surely after that, you had your memories wiped, like Kobashigawa said she would?"

"No. My memories of you are still intact. You are my master, and I am your android."

"Um, but weren't there a bunch of people who still wanted to-"

"You are my master."

"Er, but-"

"You are my master."

It then leaned in closer to me.

"And as you are my master, I am to fulfil your every need."

It leaned in even closer to my face.

"I am yours."

I felt incredibly awkward. I still do feel awkward about the situation. In fact, I felt so incredibly awkward, that I was having trouble processing this entire transaction, and as such, I found myself unable to move a single muscle, in fear of doing something that would piss off the breaking and entering robot right in front of me. Amy was having none of it, however, and marched over to Maya, and puled it away from me. Oh, thank you, dear sister of mine, for saving me from an incredibly awkward situation.

"Now, hold on a real fuckin' minute!" Amy exasperated to Maya, "You broke into our apartment, and sat creepily next to my brother's bed, and now you just expect to be allowed in like it's no biggie!"

"...Yes", Maya replied.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" she was practically screaming at the top of her lungs at this point.

"Hey, could you keep it down please?" called out our neighbour from his apartment wall next to us, "Some of us are trying to sleep."

"None of your business, Yoshii!" Amy called out, "So go away!"

"What's even going on over ther-"

"I said none of your business!"

"Ugh, I'll explain it to you tomorrow, Yoshii", I called out as well, "Right now I just want to sleep."

"Ah, alright then", Yoshii called out. I then heard feet landing against the floor of the apartment next to us, meaning that he was going back to his room.

I looked at Maya, who was now standing up. It was about as tall as Amy. I then said to Maya, "How did you even find our house anyway?"

"I used the security and street cameras that Fumizuki City has to find where you live, and I also made use of the cerebral bond that was established between us to find which room you were in", it replied.

"You... hacked into the CCTV."

"Negative. I just to the hospital and used the CCTV Televisions that were being used by the incurable patients."

"Oh, okay, that's both reassuring, and also a teeny tiny bit unnerving. Wait, what bond thingy?"

"Yeah", began Amy, with a questioning look on her face, "What bond thingy?"

"When you put your hand on me, for those few seconds", began Maya, not looking away from me, "I was able to establish your specific heartbeat, blood type, heat signature, by just scanning your blood, and the cut on your hand, and modify it into a tracker. All androids can create a tracker if one uses their own blood to establish that link. You did just that, and as such, the link is established. The link helps an android find it's master if either the android is lost, or it's master is in dangerous or stressful situations. It can also serve as a stress reliever. If an android's master is in distress, then, with the link, the android can hone in on their stress levels, and, when in close proximity, send out a signal which will calm them down, and sooth them."

"Oh, um, okay then, I guess that's cool."

"Wait, so you're like, a physiatrist robot or somethin'?" asked Amy.

"Technically, no, I am not. Androids can only do those things if they establish the bond with their masters."

"Oh, right."

"Wait", I began, just remembering something, "Like I was saying before, and don't interrupt me on this, Miss determination-"

"Of course. I apologise for earlier."

"-Yeah, well, whatever. Back at the presentation, there were still a bunch of people who still wanted to buy you (God that feels wrong to say), so were you sold off to anyone, or were you sent off back to the android factory or wherever it was that you were built?"

"I was sold to a wealthy man by the name of Masaie Fujita and his girlfriend and son. They are-"

"Okay, um, no need to be rude, but I don't really want to hear another exposition dump right now."

"Oh, my apologies."

"Don't feel sorry. It's just that, you ran away from somebody who had legal rights to you (Still feels wrong to say, my god)."

Yes."

"Why?"

"They were pretenders."

"Huh?"

Maya then knelt down, and looked me in the eyes, "They tried to make me theirs. They couldn't. They did not take my servitude because it already belonged to another. You. It belongs to you, and it forever will. What they wished to take, you already had. They thought I belonged to them, when in truth, I shall, and forever will, belong to you, my master eternal", while it said this, it wore an innocent smile on it's face, as if there was nothing wrong with what it was saying. That really creeped me out, so I moved my face away from it slightly. It dropped it's smile when I did this, and tilted it's head slightly, "Did I say something wrong, master?"

"Yes. No. Augh. Having trouble processing all of this. Tell you what, how about we all go to sleep now, and we'll thing about it in the morning?"

"Wait", began Amy, "But-"

"Amy. In the morning."

"...Fine."

"Of course", said Maya.

Amy then turned the light off, and closed the door, and I laid myself down, and tried to go back to sleep.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Maya?"

"Yes master?"

"...Go sleep in the living room, please."

"Of course master."

As Maya left the room, I laid in bed, thinking to myself.

'Master'.

Hate that. Always have and always will.

I didn't really sleep for the rest of that night. I couldn't. I just laid there for the next 5 hours, thinking. Thinking, and staring at the ceiling aimlessly. This was gonna take a lot of explaining to everyone in the morning. If Kinoshita tries to pry out what the hell was going on yesterday, I'll... well, I'll just hope that she isn't being infantile enough to hear what I have to say. Then again, maybe she'll be distracted by Akane being complicit again, so that might keep her off me. As for everyone else, assuming they haven't given in to tergiversation, they'll probably all react the way that I'll expect them to individually, and collectively, act. Surprise, confusion, surprised confusion, and galore. But, what was I going to say to them? 'Hey guys don't know if you noticed but I made a dick of myself on live TV and now I've got a runaway robot in my living room hope that's cool'. Jesus Christ. This entire situation was, and is, a big old clusterfuck, with a dash of complicated and a hint of lemony 'I'm in deep shit'. To top that off, I'll have to contend with the immediate aftermath of the last ESB that I fought in, Bando and his goons revenge for that little trickery that I pulled on them, the new guys, whatever Yuuko has planned, because when is she not planning something, and the general antics that everyone at Fumizuki Gakuen get up to.

Madness, I tell you. Utter madness.

By the time morning came round, I was tired. Tired, but not sleepy. It's complicated. Just like my life right now. By the I finally got out of my bed, it was 7:30, and I hadn't slept at all. From the looks of it, neither had Amy, as when she and I met in the living room, she looked as tired as I did.

"Good morning, master."

We both looked to the point of origin of the sound to see Maya standing in the middle of the living room, it's hands joined together in front of it's body, and it's head tilted to the side. It looked at me, and gave off a gentle smile. I looked around the room, and found that nothing had been displaced from yesterday. Where had it slept, I wonder?

"Er, Maya?" I began hesitantly, "Where did you sleep last night?"

"I am not programmed for sleep."

"So, you stayed awake all of last night?"

"Correct."

"Okay, did you sit anywhere then?"

"Negative."

"So, you just stood for the last 5 hours?"

"In this spot here. I was waiting for you, master."

"... M'kay."

I looked at Amy, and she looked at me. We both had the same look on our faces, which basically was 'This chick is coocoo'.

"Is there anything I can do for you, master?" Maya asked, without hesitation.

"...Actually", I began, a thought coming to mind, "Do you know what your actual owner's phone number is?"

"oh, well, you have yet to tell me your phone number, but I can use the ARCHON database to-"

"What? No. The other guy's number. The one who brought you."

"Oh", it seemed kinda sad now, "No, I do not."

"Well, this 'Archon' thing of yours, can you-"

"No. Finding someone's personal information within the ARCHON database is only restricted to the android and it's master, so I cannot find any personal information on anyone else that is not you. It is so that people won't use the androids to access other people's personal details remotely."

"Oh, well, in that case, just stay there for now", I said, somewhat disappointed. I was hoping to get that bureaucrat guy's phone number, and sort all of this out. Ugh. Oh well. I'm sure I can just look up the guy's number on the computer at school today.

Which reminds me, I need to get ready. The teachers at Fumizuki really don't fuck around when it comes to dealing with tardiness. I should know, as I've been on the receiving end of it a couple of times.

"Right then. Amy, I'm gonna go get changed into something more, well, clean", I said, as I walked back to my room, "When I come back, I'll just make us toast or something, and then we skedaddle on to school. What are you gonna be doing?"

"Probs get changed as well", said Amy, as she began to walk to her room, "You've got 5 minutes top, bro."

"Right then."

"Is there anything I can do, master?" asked Maya.

"Oh, um, you, stay there, I guess", I said as I entered my room, and shut the door, "Don't do anything, okay?"

"...Okay."

At this point, I just wanted to get this whole ordeal sorted out, and quickly. As I took off my old clothes from yesterday (I had them on for the entire night), and put on some new ones, I grabbed my watch, and a relatively clean hoodie from the floor, and walked back out of the room, with Amy walking out just a minute behind me. After making us both toast for breakfast (I just put a few slices of bread in the oven and hoped that they don't burn), and taking care of our own personal hygiene, as well as using Amy's makeup to mask my own facial injuries, we put our shoes on, which were still slightly damp from last night, and prepared to leave.

"Master?"

I looked behind me to see Maya looking at me, with a questioning look on it's face.

"Look, Maya, just... just stay here, and don't touch anything, okay?"

"...Oh, okay."

"Right, good. I've got to call up that Fujita guy, and get this all sorted out."

"But, master-"

"Maya, please. You don't belong to me. Right now, you're, on a technicality, stolen property, and I need to get this all fixed before anything else goes array. So, please, could you just not do anything rash? For me?"

I sound really selfish when I said that. I felt really selfish when I said that too. Because when those words left my mouth, Maya looked, well, kinda heartbroken, and sad-

No no, what am I doing? It's a machine. A robot. It can't feel sad. It can't feel anything. Right now, this one's probably just glitched out, or something.

Yeah, that's it.

I didn't see it's reaction, but I think that's probably for the best. I had already opened the door, and walked out, with Amy following, shutting the door behind her, and locking it. I looked down from the balcony from the door of my apartment (We lived on the second floor up), and saw that several people from our school were already on the move, walking towards the academy. Thank Christ I had my hoodie with me, otherwise I would be noticed much more easily. I don't want to have to be raided by peers whom wish to know what the hell was going on last night. Not until I could sort all of this crap out. I put my hood up, and began to walk down the narrow balcony to the stairwell down.

"You seem miserable", said Amy.

"Like I said, sis, that robot in there is technically stolen property, and I want to get this all sorted out before we end up in deep shit."

"Why do you want to send her off, anyway?"

"Her?"

"Yeah. Back to the point, you have a robot maid, who'll probably sex you if you told her to."

"It's not our, Amy. It doesn't belong to us."

"Is that really why you want to get rid of it?"

"What's your point?"

"My point, Riley, is that 1: you really do see her as an actual girl, and you can't stand it, and 2: you hate the amount of control that you have right now over her."

...

Dammit, Miss 'modern day Sherlock Homes'.

Unfortunately, she's not wrong. When I said 'Unnaturally obsequious' before, I had meant completely subservient, which I am not. However, I had meant unnaturally, as in pushed to be more obedient then I am normally. Fact of the matter is, even if it doesn't seem like it, I am quite naturally obedient and submissive. It's in my nature. If someone where to give me a relatively logical order, my natural instincts would be to obey. I'm guessing that this is because of the fact that I've never been in a relationship of any kind where I've been the one in control. Hell, even with my own sister, I let her keep the most control. She was technically the one who offered to show the Prometheans around. I just happened to follow her around, and John just happened to thank me. It's just in my nature to follow the orders of others, and the fact of the matter is, I like it that way. I like being given a purpose, or something to do, instead of finding it myself. The idea of being in control in a relationship is terrifying to me, and one that I am keen to be rid off.

"Well? I'm spot on, aren't I?" Amy's words broke me out of my thoughts, yet I could give her no answer.

"..."

"I'll take that as a yeah."

Take it as you will. I won't stop you.

By now, we had made our way down the metal stairwell, and were walking along the streets and paths. The ground was still wet, and there were puddles that had formed in the drains in the streets. Some of those puddles were quite small, while others could be considered miniature lakes. We had only made it a few metres from the stairwell when I heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, Harrisons!"

Ugh.

Amy and I looked behind us, to see Yoshii waving at us, with his stupid trademark grin across his face. He was walking towards us. Of all people...

Yoshii didn't take a second to pause for anything as he stopped next to them and asked, "Soooo, what were you 2 yelling about last night? Oh, was it about that thingy that you were at yesterday?" he said, looking and pointing to me as he spoke, "Or was it about the ESB war yesterday as well? Man, that was a crazy day? Haha. But seriously, what were you yelling about last night? It was really lou-"

"Hey, Yoshii, don't say our last names out loud like that!" Amy cut off his questioning and scolded him as we in turn stopped in place, "Riley's been through a lot of crap over the last 12 hours, and I don't want anyone we don't know coming up to us and asking what the hell happened last night."

I figured that Amy also don't want people we do know coming up to us and asking me what the hell happened last night as well. Hint hint.

"Oh, well, you 2 know me-"

Barely. We only started fraternising after the test of courage that the Year 3s set up, and that was 2 weeks ago. Hint hint.

"-Sooooooo, you can tell me!"  
._.

This guy just doesn't take a hint, does he?

I looked at Amy, and she looked at me. If you couldn't tell, I was the more, well, dependant person in our relationship, while Amy was the more dependable side to it. I kinda wanted her to hate me for it. I wanted her to hate me for being so reliant on her. I felt like a parasite whom used pity and sympathy to lure prey into a fatal trap from which they won't escape. I don't know why. I just did. But she didn't, and I hated her for it.

Oh hey, 2 things I hate about her. Ain't I an arsehole victim?

"Look, Yoshii", began Amy, "We really don't want to talk about it, so just run along to your social group, and let us be, please."

The gauche teen looked somewhat disappointed for a second, before recovering from it, and returning to his famous smiling face, and chirping, "Oh, well okay then!"

He might's well have been skipping with that annoyingly happy attitude, as he walked away with élan, not looking back at us, and walked towards one of the classmates in his social group. I think it was that maroon haired psycho, because after a minute, he was in a Boston crab submission, and being accosted by the person in question.

"Should we... Should we help him?" I asked.

"Ah, he'll be fine", Amy replied, "From what I've heard, the guy might as well be made of diamond. Nothing breaks him. I mean, yesterday, we saw him unconscious on the ground, and not even an hour later, he was up and at 'em again."

"Hm. Well, alright then."

Just because I went along with it though, doesn't mean I feel comfortable with it. As we continued walking on, I looked at Yoshii, and his maroon haired friend. The maroon haired cross dressing guy was seemingly trying to pry information out of the other guy, and Yoshii was just awkwardly smiling back at him. He didn't notice me. Good. I didn't want him to see the concerned look on my face. Thanks to a little thing I like to call moral decency, I've never like the idea of others just trudging through social torment just to impress or please a group of capricious, arrogant, and selfish individuals, or whatever reason. I know that makes me sound like a hypocrite, but I just hate it when it happens to other people. Doesn't mean I have the vigour or strength to do anything about it, though. In a school where the Principal and the top 20 honour students are carte blanche, this kind of stuff is fairly normal, which is a generally bad thing.

Speaking off, we continued walking to the academy, mindful of anyone who might recognise us. We stuck to the shadows, taking as many underpopulated routes as possible. Tank goodness I had my hoodie on me, as with it up, fewer people recognised me, and they all seemed to get the message that we didn't want to talk to anyone. Hell, we even saw Bando, the prickiest prick in all of prickington, and his bakers dozen of acquaintances talking about how they were gonna get me back. But, the idiots didn't even notice Amy or I (Though, I forgot to mention that she was also wearing a coat with the hood up as well). We practically walked right on past them all, and the dumbasses didn't even bat an eye. If it's one thing that they have in bucket loads, it's complete and utter obliviousness. Well, that and stupidity. And arrogance. And glib. And all of the 7 sins. And everything else that would make extra-terrestrial life want to exterminate the species.

We continued to walk to the school, avoiding anyone that we could, until we eventually got to the academy gates. We walked through, and I took note of my surroundings. The ground was still wet, and puddles had formed under the cherry blossom trees. Most of the petals on the trees had come off, and coated the floor in pink. People from the school were flooding in through the gates and into the courtyard in a dishevelled fashion, seemingly eager to get another uneventful day for them done and dusted. Some, if not most, of them seemed fastidious with their given lives (Which would make sense in a place like this), and were either speaking out about it (They would probably face retribution later for that from everyone's favourite ostentatious narcissist), or just hid it behind their idiosyncratic nature, letting it grow and grow in captivity.

I, like said before, didn't really care. I have my own problems to deal with, and I've got them a bit higher on my list of priorities than everybody else's problems.

We trudged through the courtyard, past all of the people, and walked through the main entrance of the school, where people were putting all of their things into their lockers. I looked at Amy, whom I held close to, and she wordlessly shook her head. I instantly got the memo. We wouldn't be stopping here, lest somebody recognise me. We walked through, hoping to go unnoticed, but, unfortunately, to our ill omen, a few people seemed to notice me beneath my hood, and opened their mouths to speak, but Amy shot them a death glare, and they backed off. We walked right through the locker room, and through the hallway, which, in contrast to the locker room, were sparse of people, so we had a relatively easy shot to Class A. We walked through the empty hallways, past Class E, which was sporting extensive damage to it (What the hell happened during the ESB yesterday?) all the way to the entrance to Class A. When we got there, there seemed to be a bit of commotion coming from inside the room, which was odd, considering how dull it usually was. Amy and I looked at each other, and I then looked to the sliding door, and opened it. There were already a few people inside, though it was about I'd say 2 dozen, rather than the usual 100 and a bit. There was Kinoshita and a few of her 'friends' standing near the centre stage, Akane and her dozen and more allies in a corner of the room, with Akane acting, rather exited, her amber eyes darting over each one of her acquaintances near her. There were a few people scattered across the personal desks, and there was at least 1 person near the coffee maker. However, all of their attention, save for Akane's group, was directed to near the windows, where the new guys, the Prometheans, were keeping themselves. The tall one with heterochromia, John, was yelling at the spindly green and grey robot, Mateuz, while the green haired spanish one, Andre, was looking at them both, completely unfazed, and the blind Nigerian one, Jack, was sitting cross legged, looking like he was meditating. Next to them, there was a broken window, and a deflated rubber dinghy.

Oh. Okay then.

"For Christ's sake, Mateuz!" yelled John, "Flying through the window is not a good way to come into a room!"

 **"You weren't complaining when I busted the rubber dinghy out!"** retorted the robot.

"Because I had no idea what you were gonna do with it!"

"I'm still surprised we were able to pilot that thing down the street", said Andre.

 **"If there's a will, there's a way."**

"Well, what about the window?" asked John, "Are you going to will it all back to not being broken?"

 **"Na, it's not worth the effort. All I need is a bit of duct tape and a little bit more spirit. From you lot. A little bit more spirit from you lot."**

"My spirit is already 1 with creation", I heard the blind one, Jack, say, "There is no more for me to give."

"Your spirit can be one with the giant spaghetti monster in the sky for all the shits I give!" quipped John.

 **"That was mean, John."**

"I don't care. I needed to say that. Well, I wanted to say that. And I have now. I feel better, now- wait, no I don't! You somehow managed to fly a rubber dinghy through a freaking window! How the hell did that work?!"

 **"Oh please, we've done weirder stuff. I mean, remember Cairo?"**

"We don't talk about Cairo."

 **"Really?"**

"Yes, really? We can never go back to Egypt now, because of you and that's senator's daughter!"

 **"You see it as weird, I see it as- Wait is that Riley and his hot sister over there?!"**

He looked straight at us as he blunted that out, which drew the attention of everyone in the hall like classroom. Oh that's just... that's just great. The robot with the deflated rubber dinghy, the broken window and maybe even Asperger's syndrome from what I've seen over the last 23 hours is the one to point out that a cynical and needy teen and his adoptive sister just entered the room. Swell. The acrimony that I feel in my heart right now for this walking tin can is, um, well, rather mediocre actually. It appears that all of the contentment that I have in my heart right now has lost the ability to care about acting out.

Mateuz then suddenly jumped forward, and shifted into a large grey and green sphere, and then charged towards us both. Amy put herself protectively in front of me, but then the robot then changed back into it's humanoid form, and jumped up right in front of us both, right on it's 2 feet.

 **"Oi Riley ma boy, weren't you on You've Been Framed last night, and by You've Been Framed, I mean the live news, and by you, I actually mean you specifically?"** Mateuz chirped happily, his voice so robotic, yet seemingly so human.

"Um, well-"

"Yes, mister tall and not entirely intimidating, he was", interjected Amy defensively, cutting me off from speaking, "And he doesn't want to talk about it."

She's not wrong.

 **"Really?"** Mateuz asked sceptically, looking at me and tilting his head, **"Is that so?"**

I nodded in response, to which Mateuz took a step back, and looked at Amy, **"Hm, well, I can see that you 2 are spoken for today, so, I'll leave you to it then."**

The way he said that, sounded like he had a bit of contentment towards the idea of Amy speaking for me. Don't know why. I mean, I don't know why. I just prefer to let Amy speak for me, rather than me speak for me. I've been that way for a long time, ever since we met, and I've never had a problem with it.

Mateuz turned around, and walked back to the other Prometheans, and Amy and I went to sit down, though everyone's eyes were on us now. We both sat down next to each other in silence, and just got out our books, and started reading. No one approached us. They just stared. Even with our hoods up, I could still feel their eyes on us, piercing through our masks, and looking at our souls. For the rest of the time, before the first official lesson started, the rest of Class A trickled into the room, including Bando and his goons. Our first lesson, which lasted about an hour and a bit, was something about the Vietnam War and the Heart of Darkness, but I wasn't paying attention. I was too busy trying to ward off Bando's stares, as well as the glares from his followers. I could practically feel the anger coming off of them, as if the experience that Bando had yesterday has been past down through some sort of hive mind to the rest of his acquaintances, or that they were all gullible idiots who believed anything that they were force fed. I'm willing to believe in the latter, because to be honest, they're all atomic idiots.

For the rest of the day, we were told to just study, or whatever. Since we were in Class A, the teachers just kinda let us do whatever we wanted for the entire day, just as long as we studied and kept our grades up. I kinda just used the time to read, or just draw.

I was considered the artist of the class, by the way, and I kinda just drew whatever came to my mind whenever I felt like it. I guess my style is kinda close to Alex Milne and Josh Perez's collaboration work, with it's sharpness and colouring and stuff. Sometimes, I did do a few commissions if people asked, but other than that, everyone just let me draw whatever I wanted.

Except Bando and his goons. They were constantly bullying me for liking to draw. And all of the other reasons as stated before, obviously. They would regularly destroy my work, and my pencils and drawing materials, raid and steal my drawing references, rummage through my bags, belittle me, push me around, call me names, so on, so forth, and they would always make a stupid excuse to the teachers, who, being the corrupt arses that they were, would just go along with it, regardless. Worse part is, my peers would always be too afraid of retribution to do anything. The people at the start of the year were already an example of stepping out of line, and Bando's group was quite large, so they could properly enforce their will without fear of retribution.

Today however, they were feeling especially mean. Kinoshita, her inner circle, and the Prometheans were out of the room, Kinoshita's group to find Shouko (Probably in Class F), and the Prometheans to find something to do because they were bored. That meant that Bando's group could do whatever they wanted, free from the eyes of both the new guys, and Kinoshita. They formed a bit of a wide circle around me, and had, well, they had destroyed all of my stuff. All of it. My books, what was left of my writing equipment. Even my bag itself. Everything. Bando, meanwhile, had taken it upon himself to get a little 'payback' for yesterday's, well, incident, in epitome.

I was on my hands and knees on the floor, my lip cut, and my nose bloody. Bando was standing on my left hand, pressing it down, and scrapping his shoe across my hand, peeling away the top layer of my skin. Blood was weeping from the opened wound on my right hand, and I had been winded after being punched in the stomach. Amy, sporting a cut, bloody lip and a bruised arm was being held in place by 2 of Bando's goons, and everybody else in the room was just looking on, too afraid to intervene. The supervising teacher (I can't remember his name, but I do remember that he just spoke in a very dull and lifeless tone) just stood where he was on the stage, obviously being either bribed or threatened into not intervening.

"Well then", said Bando, wiping the blood from his knuckles while sporting a demented, sadistic smile, "I'd say this is just scratching the surface of the punishment you're gonna receive for yesterday's little humiliation."

Amy then screamed "LAY ONE MORE FINGER ON HIM, SHITFACE, AND I'LL-"

"YOU'LL WHAT SLUT!"

"I'LL FUCKING MURDER YOU!"

"HA! Yeah right! You're too much of a lil' bitch to do anything!"

"..."

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

Bando then looked to everyone else, and raised his voice to make a point.

"I think it's time that you all learnt something, since you all seem to need it! Do you know who gives a single shit about any of you here?"

He then pulled me onto my feet, and punched me in the stomach again to emphasise his point. I coughed up blood in response, and fell back to the ground, clutching my stomach, as tears fell from my eyes.

"NOBODY!"

He then looked to Akane, and pointed to her. Akane, meanwhile, was shivering in fear, unsure of what to do.

"Look over there, at your fearless revolutionary! She's practically pissing herself, watching us exact our righteous justice, on this worthless excuse of life right here! You think she'll lead you to the new dawn, or whatever the fuck you worthless sluts and whores call it! Look at her! LOOK AT HER! She's nothing! Just like the rest of you!"

He then looked at me, and smiled again, somehow looking more crazed.

"Nothing will change, for all of you! Worthless pieces of shit like you won't get anywhere, while I'll soar all the way to the fucking top! Me, and Yuuko! The one who belongs to me, and me alone!"

It was no secret that Bando was fanatically obsessed with Kinoshita. As in, sexually fanatically obsessed with Yuuko. Hell, one time he was caught masturbating to a picture of her in the boys bathroom. Whilst grunting about some pretty fucked up stuff. This guy's got serious issues, can I just say, and I'm still surprised that anyone still talks to him.

Snapping me out of my thoughts was a foot slamming against my head, eliciting a cry of pain from me as the tears began to fall from my eyes, making the makeup that I had put on to mask away my previous injuries mix with my tears, and wash away. However, through my blurred vision, I saw a figure walking towards me, but I didn't know who, or what they wanted. But, for a split second, I thought I heard a growl come from them.

"And as for you", Bando said as he looked down on me, "You think that you're so lucky that you got a free robot? Well guess what, you little cunt! My mom's boyfriend brought me that worthless piece of junk as a fucking present! Ain't that a treat?!"

Oh, so you were who Maya actually belongs to. Oh joy.

"So, you've got nothing left to live for, so you can just die, like the worthless piece of fucking shit that you are! Go fucking kill yourself, make the world a better place! Just die! Die! Die! DIE! DI-"

Then, a hand grabbed the back of his head, and pulled it down, at the exact same time a leg swept under Bando's own pair, and made him fall back. Then, another hand grabbed his back, and then he was thrust forward, and then downwards, to a nearby table. In a flash of a second, the figure slammed Bando's face against the table, fracturing the wood and plastic, and completely destroying his nose and jaw with a satisfying crack. Everyone around us was shocked, and unable to process what just happened. The figure then let go of Bando, and he immediately lurched back, grabbing his face in pain, as blood began to seep from between his hands. The table was covered in a pull of blood, and even a piece of tooth. Bando, meanwhile, was leaking blood from both his nose and his mouth, and as he opened his mouth, his teeth were coated red in blood, and one of his teeth were broken. His eyes were red, and he seemed so angry that his veins had become literally visible.

I looked to my mysterious saviour, and saw that it was actually John Prometheus, with a pissed look on his face, and behind him stood not only the rest of the Prometheans, but also Kinoshita and her group, including Shouko. 2 of Bando's goons, Koharu Higa and Zenzō Teruya, attempted to help him, and charged John, but Mateuz and Jack, with Mateuz punching Akane's slutty sister in the throat, and slamming her head against the ground, and Jack simply moving his foot out, and letting Teruya trip on it, and fall to the ground (I thought he was blind? How did he know when to move his foot out? How did he know someone was moving in the first place?).

Kinoshita moved to do something, with an actually worried (Yeah right) look on her face, but Andre put his hand out in front of her, and said to her, with a disappointed look, "I think you've done enough damage for one day, compadre. Let John sort this out."

"That's not what I was-"

"Yuuko. Shut up."

Bando then removed his hands from his bloodied face, letting all be revealed. John meanwhile, was unfazed, like the rest of the Prometheans, while everyone else was really unnerved and shocked. Hell, even I was shocked by what just happened. Bando, in anger, then pointed at John and, with tears of pain in his eyes, screamed, "DO YOU KNOW WHO THE FUCK I AM! I AM FUJIO BANDO, AND I-"

"I know", John said, unfazed, and unmoved, "And I really don't care."

"WHAT?! I-"

"Have the next 10 seconds to run before I snap your neck."

 **"He's not joking."**

"I WILL HAVE YOU ALL-"

"10."

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!"

"What the fuck is wrong with you, picking on an obviously physically and maybe even mentally weak kid? 9. You're the fucked up one, trying to beat the shit out of him for a probably pointless trivial whatever. 8. Me, I'm perfectly fine, just a little mental in the head, and a whole hell fo a lot of other shit that'll give you nightmares every night as you sleep. 7."

"YEAH, WELL-"

"108, before you ask. 4."

"4?!"

"You're wasting my time, so I'm reducing yours. 3."

"I WILL HAVE YOU HUNG FOR THIS!"

"Wouldn't be the first time someone tried to hang me. 2."

"WHA- WELL, I, um I'll, oh oh I'LL HAVE-"

"And 1. Neck snapping time."

John took a step forward, and Bando took a nervous and frightened step back. All of Bando's goons had backed off now, frightened of what would come to them should they intervene to save their boss, the Prometheans were unfazed and completely chilled with what was going on, and all of the other students in the room were completely mesmerised by what was happening in front of all of them. The supervising teacher, at one point, tried to step in and stop what was happening to Bando, but Jack and Mateuz quickly got in his way and told him to scram. Seeing that he no longer had any control over the situation any more, the teacher left the room, and subsequently, left Bando to his fate.

John reached out to Bando, aiming at his neck.

Holy shit I was about to witness murder. Well, it was Bando getting killed, so no one was gonna miss him, I guess.

Amy forced herself out of the restraints of her shocked captures, and ran towards us. But instead of stopping John, she just ran towards me, and hugged me tightly, refusing to let go.

Bando stood in place, frozen in fear.

John's eyes burned with anger.

His hands were almost at his neck...

Suddenly, the nearest sliding door to Class A slammed open with a bang, and everyone's eyes shot towards the direction of the door, to see a figure standing in the doorway, clutching the door handle, and looking straight at the crowd, and then to Bando, and then to me. A figure with light chocolate coloured, blemish free and smooth skin. A figure with long, brown fluffy hair. A figure in a grey dress, with a puffy skirt. A figure, with clear light brown eyes. A figure, whom I recognised almost immediately...

"M-Maya?" I weakly asked, still trying to find the energy to speak at my full voice. Amy heard what I said, and looked at me, giving me a questioning look. I gave her the same, and we both looked at the Android, confused at to why it was here.

"HAH!" went Bando, putting on his personal trademark smile, "AH HA! See that! That my robot! My mum's personal bank account for a boyfriend got it for me a as present of all things!"

"Hey", began a student- Miho Satou- from Kinoshita's group, "Isn't that Harrison's robo-"

"NO, THE IDIOT DIDN'T WANT IT BITCH!" suddenly screamed Bando, spittle and blood coming from his mouth as he spoke, "So shut up! He declined it, and now it's mine!"

"Master?" Maya asked. I was unsure as to whom it was speaking to, as Bando- it's actual owner- was in the room, as well as myself, though I was more of an unwilling owner.

"Yeah, hi, it's me. Your owner. Your master", emphasised Bando as he looked at Maya, and then pointed at me, "Where were you this morning by the- Actually, you know what, I don't give a shit. AS your master, my first official order, is for you to kill this little shit piece right-"

John then slammed his hand against Bando's throat, and pulled him closer, "You say one more word, and I'll slit your fucking throat with a butter knife."

" _ACK_ \- Enjoy this... while you can... once that- _ACK_ \- cunt is dead, I'll- _HUGH_ \- kill you next!" said Bando between gasps for air. He then pointed to Maya, and John looked to see that the android was walking forward, with it's eyes hidden behind it's hair. So it was following Bando's orders now. John immediately became defensive and dropped Bando, stepping in my path, as well as the other Prometheans, and a few from Kinoshita's group- Aiko Kudou, Toshimitsu Kubo, and Miho Satou- joined the iron blockade as well.

"Guns up, guys", I heard John whisper to the other Prometheans.

"Que?" Whispered Andre.

"This could go south real quick, so we need to be ready."

"Ready for what? That things probably just non sentient wires and metal. I really don't think we need to pull out the big guns just to stop a-"

Then, Maya walked up to them, and pushed them out of the way. Andre and John seemed quite surprised about it, and unsure of what to do. Maybe they didn't react well to surprises. Mateuz, however, pointed his shoulder cannon thingies at the android, and Jack had grabbed the end of his walking stick. Amy just hugged me tighter, and buried her head in my shoulder.

Maya looked down at me, but I didn't see it's eyes.

"That's it, robot, KILL HIM!" yelled Bando, blood now covering the lower half of his face.

Maya then extended it's arm out to my face, and moved closer to me. The Prometheans began to converge closer, immediately going in for the kill, while Bando smiled a triumphant and arrogant smile. I just closed my eyes, and shook my head in fear, not ready for death. My mouth opened, and I uttered, "No-"

But then, I felt a gentle hand cup my face, and lovingly stroke it. I slowly opened my teary eyes, to see Maya's face in full view, eyes and all. The android had a sad look on it's face, and it's hand was gently wiping away the blood from my face. I was confused, but I didn't say anything. I was silently embracing the gentle feel of Maya's hand wiping away the dirt from my face, enjoying it's pleasure, though again, I was quite confused. All 4 of the Prometheans backed off, with confused looks and stances, and Bando was slightly confused looking as well, but he must've thought that this was a sort of prelude to the death.

What it said next wiped that smile off of his face.

"Master", Maya said to me, it's sad face worsening, "You are hurt."

"...Maya, what are you doing?" I quietly asked. Amy had loosened her grip on me as well, looking at the android as well, with a confused look on her face.

"Wiping away the blood, master", Maya said. It then removed it's hand from my face, and moved it's body closer, wrapping it's arms around my upper body, and resting it's head against mine, "I am sorry. I am programmed to make you happy, but you are sad."

"...It's okay, Maya", I said, as I patted it's back, "It's okay."

Bando, meanwhile, looked like he was about to explode with anger. His veins had become very visible, and his face had somehow turned even redder than his own blood. He stomped up to Maya, but John quickly interjected, and stepped in his way, while Kubo and Andre held him back by his arms. That didn't stop Bando from thrashing around in their arms in rage, like a tantruming child. He definitely sounded like it, "NO! NOOO! YOU ARE MINE! YOU BELONG TO ME! YOU ARE MY FUCKING PROPERTY! YOU TAKE ORDERS FROM ME! YOU ARE A FUCKING MACHINE, AND YOU FUCKING BELONG TO ME! NOT HIM! ME!"

Christ, he's gone bloody mental. Quick, someone send him to that telly show where they send those bratty kids to those prisons so those prisoners can scare the shit out of them.

Scared Straight. That's what it was. That was the name of the show. Look it up later. Or whenever

Right, where was I? Oh yes. Bando was screaming like a bitch, and all that. Kubo and Andre were holding him back, and Maya was stroking my cheek. Well, actually now, it had stopped, and was looking at Bando, with silent contemptment in it's eyes. It then stood up, and coldly and bluntly said "I do not belong to you. I belong to my master."

"I AM YOUR MASTER! ME! NOT HIM! AND IF YOU DO NOT KILL HIM, I WILL KILL YOU BOTH!"

At this point, an audience had gathered outside of the room, viewing the scene from both doors. I could see familiar faces like Yoshii, Shimizu, Tamano, Hiraga, Mikami, that maroon haired dude, Yuuko's sister and a few others parked outside of the doors, watching the scene unfold.

Maya had taken a step forward to Bando, who was still restrained, and said, "Do not touch my master."

"I WILL MURDER HIM IF-"

Suddenly, Maya's hand shot to Bando's throat, and it lifted him up from the ground. Yeah that's right. it lifted him from off of the ground. Guess Kobashigawa wasn't kidding about being 'Much stronger than the average human'. Andre and Kubo backed off, though Andre seemed less fazed by this act of strength than Kubo. Everyone else in the room was gasping, and even the Prometheans had curious and intrigued looks on their faces. The crowd at the door were no longer afraid to stand outside, and had started to slowly trickle into the room, and absorbing themselves into the crowd. If anyone from Class A noticed, they didn't care enough to act on it.

"Do not. Touch. My master", Maya coldly stated, as it held Bando by it's throat. His feet were no longer touching the ground, his hands were clawing away at the artificial skin of Maya's hand, resulting in silver blood analogue to weep from it's hand.

"You... fucking bitch", Bando rasped between gasps of air, as his face began to turn blue.

"Maya, stop it", I said as I stood up, wiping what was left of the now dried blood from my face. I didn't feel used to giving it an order, and I don't suspect I ever will, "You'll kill him."

"He hurt you", Maya said, turning back to me. Amy was still at my side, and John had moved to my other as well, while I could feel Yoshii present a far bit away from me, but still close enough to take action if necessary.

"Maya", I repeated, though much more firmly, this time.

It didn't even avert it's gaze as it dropped him, but it did wear a slightly disappointed look on it's face. Bando, meanwhile, was on his knees, sputtering, and gasping for air. After a few moments, he weakly got back up onto his feet, and, with angry tears in his eyes, began to say, "I am going to-"

"Go home, Bando. Your time here in Class A is over."

To everyone's surprise, those words came out of Kinoshita's mouth, of all people. We all looked at her, and saw that as she looked at Bando, she wore a face of disgust, and outright contempt. Her eyes were burning with anger, though she was probably just angry that her 'Great class's reputation' was stained by Bando and his actions.

I'm sure of it.

Bando looked at her, surprisingly in shock. His head must've been lodged so far up his ass, that the delusional idiot might've actually thought that Kinoshita actually returned his obsessive love, if you can even call it that, "Yuuko, my lo-"

"Get. The fuck. Out of this academy", Kinoshita rasped through her teeth. I saw now that she had fangs in her teeth, her super-heart glowed a faint, yet omnibus green in her chest, and her green eyes even glowed a little bit. Weird, yet also kinda scary. She growled at Bando, and he took a frightened step back. He must've not seen someone with a super-heart before, and it terrified him. He looked to his goons, only to see that they had gathered themselves up into a huddle, and were now under watch from Akane and her allies, Class A and a few of the others who had joined the crowd. Bando then looked to said crowd, and saw that they were all looking at him with disgust, spite, anger, etc. I have to say, it was enjoyable to see him without anyone to back him up, all alone, and with his back against the wall. I let myself give of a small grin, but he seemed to see that, and looked at me with the most fury I'd ever seen. I didn't remove my smile though. I knew it would come to bite me in the arse later, but I didn't care one bit. Finally, after months of putting up with his bollocks, I'd won.

"T-THIS ISN'T OVER!" Bando screamed as he ran out of the room, with an angry expression, and yet he was crying, and mucus was dripping from his nose, and spittle was dribbling from his mouth, as well as blood, "I'M RICH! I'LL HAVE MY PAYBACK, AND I WILL KILL YOU ALL", he then began to scream and cry as he ran, kicking the door a few times as he left, his hideous cries being heard from all the way down the corridor.

All was silent. No one had any idea what to say, or how to react.

A minute of silence and stillness past.

Finally, it was Mateuz who broke the ice, **"Well, that was an even bigger mood whiplash than when I played Doki Doki Literature Club #JustMonika."**

The entire classroom began to explode with cheers and laughter. People from both Kinoshita's faction, and Akane's faction began to cheer and clap at the fact that the biggest arse in the school was made a even bigger moron of himself than he already was, while everyone else was laughing, or still unsure of what just happened. Hell, I'm pretty sure somebody started playing Ding Dong the witch is dead on YouTube, and put it through a loud speaker. I then saw that Yoshii and Shimizu were talking to each other, and had quietly slipped away, while the maroon haired guy- Shimada, I should probably call him- was talking to Shouko, and the Kinoshita siblings were talking to each other. Meanwhile, I decided to sit on the closest table, being the one with Bando's blood still on it. I sat at the far side of the table, away from the filth, and Amy, Maya, the Prometheans, Kubo, Kudou, Satou, and the Kinoshita siblings joined me, forming a circle of people.

"Are you o- wait, no, dumb question. Okay, take 2: are you better than you were 5 minutes ago?" John asked, with a worried look on his face.

"I've had worse", I said earnestly. I noticed that I didn't have that fake innocence mask on now, in contrast to yesterday, "I'll be fine."

"I really don't like that you said 'You've had worse'."

 **"Yeah, dude. Not even 5 minutes ago, you were getting your face caved in"** , added Mateuz.

"You were being assaulted?" Maya asked as she crouched down before me, with a look that was a cross between sad, worried, and angry.

"Maya, it's okay", I gently replied.

"He hurt you", it angrily muttered, and it's face looking down, "I will kill him for hurting my master..."

"Maya, no", I firmly said, "Just... just no. I'm sure Bando's received his comeuppance."

"Speak for yourself", said a Class E female peer with short pink hair- Ogawa Mayura, her name was- who was looking out of the still shattered window from the Prometheans early antics, "He's running down the courtyard with his hands in his face and- oh, he just fell face first into a muddy puddle!"

 **"HAH! Lol."**

"Bando will be back", said Kubo, adjusting his glasses, "He's not gonna take this sitting down. Or standing up. Anything without a tantrum."

So, one of Kinoshita's inner circle had the nerve to comment on my situation. Especially since they were the ones who sicked him and his goons on me and Amy in the first place. How quaint.

"If he dares to step near my master", began Maya, "I will kill him."

"I'm sure you will", said Andre, basically giving her a go ahead on murder.

"He's gotten up- and he's run into a wall", said Ogawa, smiling to herself.

"What if he comes for us all?" said Kinoshita's more attractive sister, "If what I've heard is true, then he belongs to a very rich family. He'll bring his wrath down on the whole school."

"He won't", said Kinoshita, with her arms folded, and a look of determination on her face, "I'll make sure of it."

I looked at her, angry that she was even talking, "Yeah, sure, you'll make sure that your status amongst the bourgeois is maintained. No harm no foul."

"Wha- no, why would you-"

"No no no, it's fine. No need to say anything. I don't expect anything from the person who sent Bando on everyone to begin with."

The person who sent Bando on me to begin with.

Everyone around me, save for Amy, Maya, and Kinoshita, were taken aback by my hostile behaviour. I looked up at Yuuko, and she had the audacity to look saddened by my words, "Riley, I ne-"

"Stuff it", I rasped in anger, my voice raising as I spoke, "I don't want your false solicitous nor pity. My life ever since I came to this school has been a bloody train wreak, and I won't accept pity from the one who fucked it all up to begin-"

A hand landed on my shoulder, and a calm breeze and warmth entered my mind. I looked to my side to see that Maya had placed it's hand on my shoulder, and it brought a calming warmth with it.

Amy then grabbed my other arm, wrapped her arms around it, and brought herself closer, "Riley doesn't want to speak to you, Kinoshita, and neither of us want your sympathy. We will not be open to ridicule by the girl who's ego and self worth issues are bigger than this room."

"Is that what you want, Riley?" Jack asked.

"Of course it's what he wants."

"Let him speak, Amy."

"I-"

"Let him speak, Amy. He has a voice of his own. Let him use it."

Everyone looked to me, and I came to an internal crux. Truth be told, I had no idea what I wanted. When I thought of those words that I said, I was sure that I meant them, but when they left my lips, I found that they meant nothing to me. Those words in that order had no meaning to me. I knew I should hate Kinoshita, and I do. At least, I'm sure I do. I think.

I decided to change the subject, and looked at Maya, to which I asked, "Why are you here? I mean, how did you get here?"

"When I detected your stress and pain readings rapidly increase, I left the house, and came here to your aid."

"Okay, well, how did you get out of the house? I thought Amy locked it."

"She did. I picked the lock."

"...You picked the lock?"

"Correct?"

"With what?"

"A knife and a hair pin."

"Oh. Okay, next question: how did you get into the school? I'm pretty sure that the Principal's started using the hall monitors as a security team ever since the peeping... incident..."

I stopped talking as I saw the hall monitors- No, scratch that- The security team limping through the hallway, their sashes ripped and ruined, and their clothes torn.

"Ah, I see", was the one and only thing I could say.

"Riley, a question of my own", began Satou as she adjusted her own glasses, "What is actually going on with this... android? Didn't you turn it down yourself on live TV?"

"It's a long story. One of which I don't have the full details of myself."

Then, the one and only Ironman himself walked through the door, and looked at the large crowd, and the whole room itself, "What the hell is going on in here? I heard something about a fight going on?"

We all looked at the imposing figure as he eyed each and every one of us (He paid special attention to Andre, for some reason). We didn't say anything. We all just stood or sat still, and made not a peep.

"All of you, principal's office, now!" bellowed the Ironman, as he stomped out, "I don't care if you all have to cram in there! Just do it!"

He left the room, and we all got up, and to our feet. As we began to walk to the door, I muttered to Satou, "Look's like I've got a hell of a tale to tell."

* * *

 **And, there's chapter one! Or episode one of season one. Holy shite, this was a beast to write, so I hope that you'll all review it.**

 **So, yeah, in this, I've introduced a bunch of new concepts for this whole universe, like first and second wavers, and super-hearts, and galore. This chapter is mostly about world building, and me telling from a first person perspective for the first time. I'll be regularly changing between first and third person, so don't expect any narrative consistencies.**

 **As for Riley, I've turned him from a seemingly likeable side character, to a cynical and needy main character, with his own problems and life. Id like it if ya'll readers could tell me what you think of him as a character, as I've tried my best to make him into a multidimensional character with personality and an actual story, instead of simply a one sided one.**

 **So yeah, leave a review, like it, and all of that. Until next time, Titanmaster117 out!**


	2. Season 1 Chapter 2: Legal issues

**Soundtrack:**

 **Season theme- Rag'n'Bone Man- Human**

 **Chapter theme- Trocadero- Vanessa**

* * *

 **BNTU timeline- Takes place some time after chapter 6**

* * *

 _Tuesday 4th October 2022_

* * *

 _"So, let me get this straight", said the Principal to Riley and Amy, while the gathered group (Practically a crowd) behind them committing the burdensome act of squeezing themselves together in the cramped Principal's office, all of whom were obviously uncomfortable due to the lack of room and the fact that they were sharing carbon dioxide now, which nobody besides the ones who had crushes in the room wanted to think about (Some of the students in the room were thinking that the term 'Crush' Would definitely be fitting for everyone in the room as of that moment)._

 _The newly christened 3 amigos stood at the front of the crowd, however, with Amy sandwiched between both Riley and Maya, the android in question having it's hands together, and it's form unaverred by the cramped space, while Riley, held an icepack to his face, which someone from the group- He wasn't sure who- Had gotten after going on a jaunt, and had passed it over to Amy, who'd in turn had past it to Riley._

 _The Principal continued the seeming beginning of her coming tirade, "By some weird coincidence, the robot that you didn't want yesterday just, for some reason, followed you here, and assaulted one of your peers without reason?"_

 _There was a chorus of hushed mutters from the crowd, but it was Prometheus Mateuz who spoke out loud first, **"What? Who the buggery hell spoon fed you that load of-"** , he saw the Ironman standing next to the Principal's desk, and refrained himself, **"Er, sorry, I guess."**_

 _The principal looked from Mateuz, and to Riley, asking, "Well? What happened, then?"_

 _Riley looked down, unsure of what to say. What was he suppose to say? He had worried about this kind of thing last night. How was he going to explain all of this to, well, not only the Principal? Or anyone, to be honest._

 _Then, it was Prometheus John- One of the nascent new second wave students, whom had joined Class A just yesterday- Spoke up, "Well, when others and I came into Class A, it looked to me that that albino fellow- Bando, I think his name was- Was the one attacking Riley Harrison over here", he gestured to Riley, "As you can see there."_

 _"He's right", said Amy, "Bando was the attacker. He was attacking my brother, whom, can I just add, had no way of defending himself. In all honesty, Bando brought his little fisticuffs all on himself", a series of agreements and nods added meat to her claim._

 _"Well then, if that's the case", began the Principal. She then looked to Riley, and directed her question to him, "Why was he attacking you in the first place?"_

 _Riley was starting to think that she was just looking for an excuse to expel or suspend him, or something along those lines. Then again, with this woman, it was almost impossible to tell what she was planning, "I don't know. He just did", he said without fanfare, elation, or elaboration, purposely neglecting his interactions with him yesterday. Nevertheless, several nods and mutters of agreement came to his aid._

 _"Well, if that's the case", said the Principal, who then gestured to Maya, "What about that?"_

 _Riley knew what she was talking about. He tried to form an answer, but all he could think of was, "Um."_

 _"The robot", said the Principal. She must've figured that he didn't understand the question, "Why is it here?"_

 _She must've been watching the TV last night, thought Riley to himself, who was then immediately annoyed by the fact that seemingly everyone had conveniently been both watching their TV at the same time, and been on the same channel as well._

 _He didn't really know how to answer in the best way possible, so he just replied truthfully, "I don't know. I mean, I said that I didn't want it, but then it followed me home, and in the morning, I told it to stay home, and I locked it in, because I didn't want it to wonder off, so that Amy and I could find out who actually owned it, and return it to them, but then Bando started to attack me, and then the android turned up and, well, then... Yeah."_

 _He had decided to omit the part where the Prometheans were the first to save his arse, seeing as he didn't want them to get in trouble on their second day here (though seeing as how earlier in the day they'd somehow flown a rubber dingy through Class A's window, he doubted that they wouldn't be getting a talking to from the Principal and the upper echelons of the school). John shot Riley a look that said 'Ungrateful, but thanks, I guess', and Riley nodded in return._

 _Riley glanced to Maya. The red blood stain from the other day was still there on it's arm, though it was less visible than before. It's hand also had small blood stains on them, still wet, from when it'd cupped his face. Those blood stains there weren't really going to help his case if- Scratch that- When he'd have to defend the android later on._

 _Riley was starting to think that he was in a catch-22 situation. It seemed like there wasn't going to be a clear good way out of this little mess that he'd gotten into. Well, maybe that's isn't completely true. A lot of the guys and gals here (Save for the obvious ones in Class A, of course) seemed to be willing to help him out, so maybe he and Amy actually had a way out of all of this. Then again, he noted that quite a few of them were giving him weird looks. It seemed like they didn't like his answer. He silently mouthed, "What?" to them, to which, they gave no clear answer._

 _Okay, quick question, world: When did stuff start happening to him? Shouldn't this kind of thing be happening to the guys in Class F? When did he become so important?_

 _Riley sighed to himself, and looked to the Principal. He was still in a bit of a daze from the incident seemingly not even an hour ago, so he just truthfully asked, "What do you want me to say?"_

 _The Principal just arched her eyebrows for a moment, before relaxing herself, and going, "Well, as of this moment, nothing else."_

 _"Hm? Really?" Riley was a fair bit surprised by the answer, though mostly momentarily confused._

 _"Harrison Riley, from what I can tell, you yourself did nothing wrong in this situation", said the Principal, adding emphasis to the last 3 words. Riley knew that this was because of the times that he had been called up to this very office because of 'Incidences'. The Principal continued, "However, I must add that I do not believe that the behaviour of your... Android", she gestured to Maya once more, "Is acceptable, especially assaulting one of your peers."_

 _Riley didn't bother to contradict the hypocrisy of her words. He let her continue._

 _"And I do not feel that I need to explain the implications of holding possession of something that isn't yours. Though, I do not feel that I need to punish you for actions that are not yours. So, Harrison Riley, while I cannot condone the actions of your android, I cannot condemn you, the android, or anyone else here either."_

 _Riley suppressed a smile from forming, keeping a neutral face. He just replied, "Oh, well, thank you, miss."_

 _The Principal then firmly said, "Though, I must inform you, should an incident like this happen again, I will have to reprimand you. And I suggest you find the true owners of this android and give it back to them. Quickly."_

 _Riley nodded, and said, "Of course, miss", quickly looking to Maya, as a small smile formed on his face._

 _"Well then, I believe that you can leave now", the Principal said, not just to Riley, but to all of the other students in the room, "Except the Prometheans. I wish to speak to you about a little incident earlier today."_

 _"Oooooh, you's in trouble", Riley heard Kudou mutter to Mateuz. The robot in question let out a quiet gargling noise, which Riley realised just a second later was a robotic giggle._

 _As the rank and file left the room, Riley said to Maya, "Thank you. Thank you for helping me."_

 _"It was Prometheus John who saved you", quietly said Maya. Maybe it had picked up on him omitting John out of it. It wore a gentle, ethereal smile on it's face, which seemed to be irradiating positivity and a gentle warmth from itself._

 _"I know, and I'm gonna thank him. But I wanted to thank you as well. For being there for me."_

 _"Do not feel any need to thank me, master. You are my master. It is my purpose to do so."_

 _"Yeah, well, I- I'm not your actual master, remember. That title belongs to Bando."_

 _Maya's smile faded. It's face became riddled with solemn content, and sadness seemed to kiss it's lips._

 _"...Sorry", muttered Riley._

 _"Master-"_

 _Riley cut it off, by saying, "Please don't call me that. I don't like that word."_

 _"But, you are my-"_

 _Riley grabbed it by it's hands. Seeing as how they'd left the Principal's office by now, Riley gently moved both himself and Maya closer to the wall, and said, "I don't own you. I don't... I don't deserve you. Please. I need to get you back to your actual owners."_

 _"But you are my-"_

 _Riley heard someone nearby, and looked behind him to see several of his peers glancing at him and Maya. He didn't bother trying to guess what they were thinking or quietly saying. He looked back to Maya, and gazed past her to see Kinoshita Yuuko standing next to the door of the Principal's office, and talking to another teacher. He could make out Bando being mentioned._

 _"C'mon", said Riley, as he pulled Maya along, "Let's clean your arms. You've got blood on you."_

* * *

 _The Next day (Waaaaaaay too early in the morning)…_

* * *

"Master-"

"Please, for the love of god, stop calling me that", said Riley, as he go out of his bed- if one could call it that- and put a still dirty shirt and pair of trousers on. Maya had been sitting by his bedside all night, and had been staring at him the whole time apparently, which had made him quite uncomfortable when he had asked, out of pure curiosity when he had caught the android firmly gazing at him. Riley then continued as he sleepily stumbled to the door, in a bad mood from having to get up so early in the morning, "I'm not your, ugh, 'm not your freakin' 'master", he lazily said, as a yawn left his mouth. He immediately felt bad about his dismissive language.

"But Master", Maya said, as it got up, and followed him to the door. The blood stains on it's arm and hand were gone. He'd washed them off yesterday at the academy's toilets. It continued, "We bonded together. The Cerebral Bond was established between us. That is confirmation of our-"

"We? Us? Our? We?" Riley asked in a tone of acrimony, stabbing an accusatory finger at the android, "There is no we. I just..." he took a long breath, reacquiring equanimity over his mind. It had been a long and stressful few days, and he hadn't really had a good night's sleep in any of them, so at this point, all he wished to do was just sit down, and relax. A good doze was a bonus. He then continued, now more relaxed, "Hey, I'm- I'm really sorry for the harsh tone, just then. God, I'm really am sorry, but... But legally, you're not my... property", his hands bawled to fists as he stressed the last word. He hated referring to someone as 'property', and since Maya looked like an android, he didn't like referring to it as less that human, even if it wasn't technically human, "But, _sigh_ , but you don't legally belong to me. You belong to... To Bando", he hated saying his name. The name of his tormentor. However, he couldn't just deny and forget about it. Doing so would get him into a whole hell of a lot more trouble then he already was.

Riley opened his door, and stepped out of his room, into the equally dishevelled hall. The door to the bathroom was open, and Riley looked inside to see that his face still looked rather macabre. His cuts and bruises would take a long while to heal, and his eye was still blackened and bruised. His wounds that he received from yesterday still looked raw, but then again, so did all of his other wounds.

A week, that's how long they would collectively take to heal. He'd have to go with not letting anyone see his face in order for them to have a somewhat less awkward conversation.

Bando did this. Bando gave him most of those wounds. Them, as well as all of the others that he had received ever since the start of Year 2. Him and his cronies had made his and Amy's life a living hell since the protest at the start of the year, and they were quite bona fide in their intent to continue on with that.

Maybe he shouldn't hand Maya over to him. Maybe he should just keep it, just as a middle finger to the albino.

No. He shouldn't. His mum's boyfriend (he remembered Bando saying that yesterday) had brought it through perfectly legal means. At least, he assumed so. Anyways, it wasn't his. It never was. He'd turned it down. He never wanted one in the first place. Hell, he'd given a whole speech and everything about it. All he had to do was find a way to call up Bando's sugar daddy, arrange a meetup, and hand the android over. Granted, he might have to find someone who could erase Maya's memories and delete the cerebral bond that they shared first, and then he would hand Maya over.

However, Riley still didn't feel comfortable with giving the android over. Knowing Bando, he would... Riley wasn't sure what specifically he'd do to it, but again, knowing him, it probably wouldn't be good. It wouldn't be good at all.

Still though, it was out of his hands. To not give Maya over would bring upon him a cacophony of screams and yells, and worse, a bunch of legal crap that he really didn't want to know about.

{KNOCK KNOCK}

There it was again. The knocking. It was what had woken him up in the first place. Riley just sighed, suppressing a yawn as he walked to the door through the dilapidated apartment, and then turned to Maya, and said, "I know it's Bando we're talking about, but he's still legally your, I don't know, actual boss, I guess. If I don't find a way to contact him (Because apparently phone books aren't a reliable source now), and hand you over to him, Amy and I are gonna be in a deluge of legal trouble", he opened the door, slowly turning his head to face whomever was knocking on it outside, "So let's just find a way to cut the bond, find a way to call up Bando, and just give you to him before anything we get caught up in any... Legal... Jargon..."

Standing at the door, was a police officer.

Without any preamble, she asked, "Riley Harrison?"

"...Yeah?"

"You're under arrest."

...

Ah, shit.

"Ah, shit."

* * *

 _Later that day..._

* * *

"[This is- This is ridiculous]", said Riley in English, as he crouched on the floor, next to the phone box in the police station, with a wireless phone in his hand, and a policeman shadowing him. Around him, in the police department, he found that nothing served to abate his worries and frustrations. Around him, various policemen and women went about their business, discussing cases, or suspects, or whatever was the topic of conversation for them. Riley was sure that some of them were probably talking about something to do with corruption, either in themselves or everyone else. Considering how the rumours that circulated the city spoke of rampant corruption in the police department, he was sure that was the topic of at least one conversation. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, and then said, "[They're saying that it's all under charges of theft and assault.]"

 _"[Wha- What?!]"_ went Amy over the phone, also in English, and from the sound of it, she was trying to stay quiet, _"[That's ridiculous!]"_

"[That's what I said]", calmly said Riley, though it did little to hide his exasperation of the situation.

 _"[If anything, you should be the one pressing charges against Bando for all of his bullshit! Oh, why haven't we done that before?]_ _"_

"[Well, that... is a very good idea and one I had not thought about before]", said Riley, mentally slapping himself in the face for not thinking off such a good idea before. Then again, with the rumours about the police department being corrupt, that seemed like a good deterrent to telling them. Riley decided to relay this to his adoptive sister, saying, "[Then again, with all the rumours about the cops being dirty, that might've been a good reason not to tell them about it. Not like they'd do anything.]"

 _"[Hm. Good point]."_

"[So, what's going on? Did any of the cops talk to you, or-]"

 _"[Yeah. They said that they were expecting me for a trial on Saturday.]"_

"[Yeah, they said I'd be in court]", went Riley, not bothering to hide his indignation of the situation, "[They're pretty eager to get this all over and done with, and just throw me in prison.]"

 _"[Fucking ridiculous...]"_ , muttered Amy over the phone.

"[I know]", said Riley, "[So what about you? What are you gonna do?]"

 _"[Well, I can assume that there's gonna be investigators, or something along those lines. Maybe I'll talk to them, and try to convince them that you're not guilty of the bullshit they're saying you are... What specifically did they say you were guilty of?]"_

"[They think that I stole Maya, and assaulted Bando.]"

 _"[They think you assaulted Bando!?]"_

"[And stole Maya.]"

 _"[Oh that mother- I knew it. I knew it was him. He must've- I don't know. Must've framed you or something.]"_

"[Really? Seems a bit unrealistic to be able to frame someone so easily]", said Riley. Then again, with the state of the police in this city, it'd probably be pretty easy to do so, and get away with it. Riley then said, "[Then again, with the cops in this city...]"

 _"[Oh, don't think about it too much]"_ , said Amy, _"[Listen, I'll be down there after school. I'll tell Mr Matsuoka that I won't be able to come to work today, and I'll see if I can see you later on, okay?]"_

Riley wanted to say something against it, but his natural obedience told him to comply, so he just replied, "[Okay then.]"

 _"[Alright then. See you soon. I love you.]"_

"...[I love you too.]"

Riley hung up the phone, and placed it back in the phone box. The police officer that was shadowing him motioned for his to stand up, and follow him. Riley complied, giving off a wan sigh, and he got up onto his feet, and followed the officer back to his cell.

* * *

As Amy put down her phone, she decided to call Mr Matsuoka later in the day. She'd rather find any investigators sent to the school, first, and plead her- no, their case.

She put her phone away, and got up from her hiding place. It was the same place that Kinoshita Yuuko always used when reading her gay men books. Amy had easily figured out that she was always hiding there at certain intervals, though she figured that anyone could've figured it out if they bothered to pay any attention.

She quickly and quietly climbed over the dusty old chairs that sat around her. She was pretty sure that some people probably noticed her, but she really didn't care. She had more important things to worry about. Firstly, finding any police officials that had come to the school that day. She figured that they'd probably be investigating into Riley's time at the academy, because unless the cops finally grew spines and started investigating all of the bullying and abuse claims that had been levied at the school numerous times, they would most likely be there because of Riley's case.

 _What if the cops don't turn up, though?_

Amy stopped in place, as the fearful parts of her mind took over. What if no one from the police department came over? What if the cops in this case really were corrupt, and set Riley up for a kangaroo court, and just threw him in the slammer immediately after?

Amy then came to a crux, as she began to fear for her brother, her breathing intensifying. Should she wait around, see if anyone from the police department did show up at the school, possibly leaving Riley in the hands of, well, whoever was setting him up with this bullshit, or should she start up her own look into the case, possibly attracting the ire of the cops, and getting herself arrested as well?

She shuddered at the thought of going to prison. She wouldn't last there. She was a coward. When she threatened Bando with violence the other day, she hadn't actually meant it. She was weak, and cowardly. She'd always run from a fight. She couldn't protect her brother. She didn't deserve-

"AMY!"

Her trail of thought was broken, when she heard someone yell her name. Her eyes and mind refocused themselves, and she saw a girl with green hair and hazel eyes looking right at her, her face close enough that Amy could feel her breath on her own. Amy felt the green haired girl's hands on her shoulders, and the girl wore a worried and fearful expression on her face. Amy felt something wet from her eyes to her cheeks. Tears.

Kudou Aiko spoke, "H-Harrison, are you okay? You looked like you were having a panic attack, and-"

Amy didn't give her a chance to finish. She shoved Kudou off of her, causing the girl to tumble back and almost fall to the floor, before composing herself. Amy didn't know why she did that. Why she pushed Kudou away. Was it anger over the fact that she was part of Kinoshita Yuuko's inner circle, and indirectly, or possibly directly, had a part in her brother's bullying? Was it fear that she'd be hurt by them too? Was it just instinct and instinct alone? Amy didn't know, and frankly, at the time, she didn't give a shit.

She looked around, to see that there were several students that had gathered around her- Prometheans and Kinoshita's circle included- all of them with different expressions on their faces, muttering to one another, though about what, she didn't know, and didn't want to know. They all looked like they wanted answers from Amy. She was half surprised that they weren't baying for them. She looked forward, and marched on, the students in front of her moving out of the way by themselves, before Amy could try to shove them out of the way. Not that she'd be able too.

She marched away, her hands curled into fists, and her cheeks still wet and burning hot. Kinoshita Yuuko saw her, and went to say something, but she stopped herself when she saw something behind Amy. A single second later, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She slowly turned around- the hand never leaving her shoulder- to see Prometheus Jack looking in her general direction. His tone was one of concern as he spoke, "Amy? Are you-"

"'M fine", she wasn't fine.

"Amy, if this is about-"

"Um, hello?" an unknown voice called. Amy- and everyone else in addition- looked to see a girl with blueish black hair and ocean blue eyes hesitantly standing near the entrance in the room. She seemed unsure as to what was going on. She then said, "Hi. Mightn't there an 'Harrison Amy' in the room? Because there're some police officers in the office who..."

Amy didn't bother to let her finish. She was already on the move before she said, "Off me", shrugging off Prometheus Jack's hand, and practically stomping towards the door.

"Er, I'm Tamano Miki, by the-", Amy moved past her, marching through the door, and to the office. Tamano just sarcastically muttered, "'Wow, it's so great to meet you, Tamano, I'm sure that we'll be great friends. Especially with your exquisite taste in fashion and Akiko pics'. Frickin', ugh..."

* * *

 **MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MASTER**

I wake up. I am blind. I can not see. Where am I? Who am I?

My memory banks reboot, and my past experiences since my activation back to me, sets of images flash in my mind.

The Cerebral Bond.

My master.

Hurting him.

I am sorry.

A pretender.

His mother and father.

They look at me.

I look away.

I run away.

I see my master.

I find my master.

He leaves.

I follow.

The pretender hurts my master.

I protect my master.

He is taken away.

I am taken away.

I sleep.

I wake.

Now.

Where is my master? My primary function is to serve my master. My only purpose is to serve my master. Where is my master?

"Hey, how'd it come online?"

Observation: Voice. Male. Adult. But where?

My optical sensors restore and reboot. I see around me.

I am in a circular, grey room, with observational windows in the walls, the logo of my makers painted on the wall. I am in a Chimera Industries facility.

Around the room, consoles and panels surround me. Chimera Industries ENFORCER Droids stand guard at a door. In front of me, a Chimera Industries VECTOR drone hovers, shining a bright cerulean light in my face. I do not blink. I do not wince.

By one of the consoles, a man in a laboratory suit stands. He is balding, mid 40s, has stubble on the chin, and poorly kept side burns, which are greying, yet also dark brown in colour. He has a clipboard in hand.

Next to the man, a woman in a laboratory coat stands too. She has hazel eyes, hazel hair, glasses, and high heels. Par Chimera Industries regulation, high heels are strictly forbidden.

I feel something around me. I am standing up, and connected to a harness. An android storage/protection/power harness. ASPP harness. The same harness that I wore during Ms Kobashigawa's presentation on Monday.

My internal assessment protocols scan around me, and my cognitive processes assess the situation. I review my preprogramed assessment banks, and conclude that a non mechanical entity would be disturbed after waking up in a room like this. Foreboding is the first word which comes to me from my bibliography drives. It is a word that non mechanical entities would use to describe the room.

I am not disturbed by the room. I know where I am. An android AS- assessment/storage- chamber. Portable rooms, and easy to transport. However, I can tell that I am not on the move. The ground below me is still, and unmoving. Onlookers observe through the windows, notepads in their hands too.

A female moves from behind me, to face me. She does not face her compatriots.

"I did", the female speaks, "I turned it on. I reckoned it would be better to get proper diagnostics if the android was online."

"Hm", the male goes, "Alright then", the male then grabs hold of the end of a thick cable, and presses a button on it.

Several sharp needles jut from the end of the cable, and the male walks around me and plugs it into a port that is attached to the back of the leather ASPP harness. I feel the needles press into my back, a sharp, uncomfortable sensation following it. I do not react. I am not programmed to react.

The male walks back around, and types in a sequence on one of the consoles. Several panels that are connected to the console light up with readings and sensory inputs.

The second female speaks, "What we have on readings?" her accent is thick and her speech pattern is broken. It sounds like she was born in Slovakia.

"Well, it's connection to ARCHON is still there", says the male, "And all systems are functioning properly. Beg pardon, but I don't see why we have to do this whole check-up thing. I mean-"

"1. Ms Kobashigawa ordered us to inspect it, so we inspect. 2. Android failed memory wipe. Need to make sure if was fault of android, or equipment."

"Right, right, right. Okay then. We'll run a few tests, and then draw up a final conclusion, yadda yadda yadda. Let's just get this over and done with. I've got important work to get back too."

"You mean going on Pornhub just to look at comment sect-"

"NO! No. Obviously not."

The second female- The one who had walked around from behind me- now walks up close to me, the VECTOR drone hovers away in response.

The female says, "Hello there, Maya-000. We'll be running a few tests on you now, so make sure to run at maximum efficiency, okay?"

"Yes", is the word that I reply with.

"I will never understand why you talk to those things", says the male.

"What? It gets lonely down here", is what the female replies with.

"Ugh. You're weird."

The second female moves away, and too another console. She types in a sequence of numbers, and the cable attached to the back of me begins to hum. A full body scan of me begins to appear on the panel connected to the console. They are running further diagnostics on me.

I wait for them to finish. I review my primary programming and memory banks once more. My mind drifts back to my master. Where is he? I want to serve him. I want to protect him.

 **I want my MAMA master.**

* * *

To say that Amy wasn't annoyed with the current situation would be a very harsh lie.

Right now, she was talking to 2 cops (Well, not really talking, more like being interrogated) in the Principal's office, and was trying her best not to show her blatant exasperation with them, by hiding herself behind a blank expression (Not that she was good at it, as it all tended to commingle together. How was it that her brother and Kirishima made it look so easy?). The Principal was in the room at her desk, her fingers pitching a tent below her nose. She was giving off the impression that she wasn't listening, but Amy knew better.

"I'm sorry, I'm not understanding what's so complicated about all of this", Amy gave up trying to hide her exasperation, and just decided to own it, "My brother. Is not. Guilty. Okay. There's evidence to support this."

One of the policemen- an elderly gentlemen- spoke, "Evidence? Do you have that on hand with you?"

"It's all over the school, and the TV! He turned down the stupid robot thing! How was he- How were we\- suppose to know that she would follow us back home?"

"Ma'am", the elderly cop's tone was calm and collected, "The fact that the android in question just 'Failed it's memory wipe' and 'Followed' him home seems a bit suspicious."

"It's the truth."

"Hm, we'll see."

If Amy really had the balls, she'd seriously be considering punching this guy's lights out.

"Ma'am", the other cop- a much younger man- spoke, "We can't just take your word for it. Even if you're his sister. The fact that he has gartered quite the reputation at this academy is something of concern.

 _Oh no_ , "Those times that he was called up here? That was Bando and his posse. I know my brother. He couldn't hurt a fly, even if he wanted too."

"Yet the charges of assault..."

"Have you seen him?" Amy noted that that sentence was missing a curse word, "He has lacerations, cuts, and grazes all over his body. There's bruising over his eye, arms, legs, and stomach. He has a scar across his back that has yet to heal, and probably never will. Some of these wounds are as fresh as Tuesday."

"That's not helping your case."

"Oh for- If my brother had all of those wounds, would it not be a clear indicator that he's a victim of bullying? Answer: It would. It would also show that if he has all of those wounds, then he'd be a terrible fighter, and can't stand up for himself."

"Well", said the second cop, with a hint of hesitation in his face and tone, cocked a brow-ridge and said, "We have had cases of assault and theft where the suspects have come out with bruises and cuts galore, so, you know, there's that."

Amy didn't say anything. She just cocked an eyebrow, and pretended that she was taking the excuses that these cops were coming up with seriously.

"And, well, with the record that your brother has", continued the cop, "I can't say that I wouldn't be surprised if he, you know, got into fights quite a bit...", he didn't show it, but Amy could tell that what he said was less of a statement and more of an accusation.

She didn't say anything. She knew that she should've, but she didn't say anything. She just let the cop continue on.

He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, and began to read off of it, "Sexual harassment, perversion, assault, theft of property, disobedience, unwillingness to listen to reason. All crimes that people have informed this office off. Your brother is quite the troublemaker."

...

How.

Dare.

He.

How dare he accuse her brother- HER brother- of- of sexual crimes! Of assault! Of-of-of... _THE FUCKING BASTARD!_

She began to shake with rage. Her hands curled up into balls. If she squeeze any tighter she might pierce her skin with her nails.

The elderly cop could tell that his compatriot had stuck a- no, more like several nerves, and gently slugged his partner on the arm, muttering, "That's enough. You're quite done now."

His young friend looked at him, "Chief-"

"Hisao. You're quite done", the 'Chief' said this with much more authority.

It took Amy a few seconds to shield her rage, and a few seconds more to calm herself down. She then looked to the 2 cops, and said, "Look", she didn't shout, but her tone put emphasis on it, "Ask. Around. Literally ask anyone who was present in Class A the other day. Ask anyone who knew Riley. Ask anyone in this academy! My brother is not a criminal, and is not a pervert, and is not... And is not a bad person! Ask around, and you. Will. See."

The Chief seemed to be convinced by this, but the younger cop- Hisao- just covertly rolled his eyes, as if he was bored, and wanted to go back to his home. The Chief looked to the principal, who nodded in return. The Chief then looked to Amy, and said, "Thank you for cooperating", before moving aside so that she could leave the room.

Amy spared a glance to the Principal, who was still in the same position, and then moved to the door, acquiescing the Chief's offer. Shoving the door open, Amy marched past the girl who had brought her up to the office, and back to Class A.

She really hated this fucking school.

* * *

 **Kinoshita Yuuko's statement:**

"Harrison Riley's... He's a good kid. He's a good- Okay, well, not good. More like decent- Guy. A lot better than this Academy deserves, considering the vast array of characters in this place. I've seen him go through a deluge of shi- A deluge of stuff, sorry. A deluge of bad stuff."

"That's not important, Ms Kinoshita. What is important is if you think that he committed the charges against him."

"Wha- No. God no. He's arsy, cynical, rather blithe to everything, annoyingly sarcastic, temperamental, introverted, stubborn, reticent, and an aloof dickhead in general who thinks he's smarter than he already is, but a thief? A sex offender? A bully? No. Not him. God no. Never."

* * *

 **Yano Gin's statement:**

"Of course he did it. He had my friends beaten up, man. I mean, we did nothing wrong to him, and he had them beaten up, man. I mean, what the hell did we do to him?"

"I'm... Sorry to hear that."

"Yeah yeah, that's what everyone says."

* * *

 **Tamano Miki's statement:**

"I don't even know the guy. The only time that I've ever heard of him was during the whole courage of test thing a few weeks back when he and his sis went in and failed, and this week."

"But what of him?"

"Eh?"

"What do you think of him?"

"Oh, well, from what I saw of him during the EVB War on Monday, he was actually quite pleasant. He even seemed to be quite happy with his lot in life. And I did see him on the news on the same day, where he... What was the main charge again? Oh, main charges, I guess."

"Assault, and theft of an android. The same one as seen in the presentation on Monday."

"Oh, no. I don't think so. I mean, I did see him turn it down, so I don't think he just stole it."

"But isn't it suspicious that the same android is with him, even though he turned it down?"

"Uh, well, yeah. I guess it is a tad bit suspicious. I mean, I guess."

* * *

 **Tsuchiya Kouta's statement:**

"..."

"Mr Tsuchiya?"

"..."

"Mr Tsuchiya, do you believe that Riley Harrison committed the charges that we've read out to you?"

"...Un."

"I-Is that a yes or a no? I can't tell."

* * *

 **Higa Koharu's statement:**

"Do I think he stole that android thingy whatever? Yes. Yes I do believe he stole it. I believe it with the same conviction as I believe that he touched my ass and tried to pressure me into sex."

"Are you sure that he tried to pressure you into sexual intercourse?"

"What, you don't believe me?"

"Wha- no no no no! It's not that-"

"I am in plight! A boy tried to inappropriately grab me, and you don't believe it?"

"No, god no, it's not that! It's... Okay, I believe you. I believe you."

* * *

 **Yoshii Akihisa's statement:**

"I don't really know the guy. I mean, we had a little talk back during the test of courage, before they went in. Can't remember what we were talking about, though I do remember him acting quite moody then. Then again, I did see him acting quite pleased with his life on Monday, so that was nice to see. So yeah, he just seems like a nice guy, and all."

"So do you believe that he committed these crimes that he is accused of?"

"No. No. In my opinion, it just seems a bit stupid, and all."

* * *

 **Mikami Yoshiko's statement:**

"Honestly, the only thing that I've seen of this Harrison kid is that I should feel bad for him. I mean, the only thing that I've actually seen from him was from yesterday, when he was getting the shite kicked out of him by Bando, and now, he's been arrested? I just... He's kinda just seems like a little old pup that you have to feel some sort of sympathy for. The thing is, I've got no idea if he's guilty, and honestly, I don't really care too much about it. S'not my problem, so, yeah."

* * *

 **Higa Akane's statement:**

"..."

"Oh, goddammit, not again. Ms Higa?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure, Riley did it."

* * *

 **Ogawa Mayura's statement:**

"I don't like the guy, why am I being questioned?"

"Ms Ogawa, please just answer the questions."

"Right, fine. Well, last I saw of him was yesterday, when Bando beat the shit out of him, and half of Class A watched. Then one of the new guys slammed Bando's head into a table, and that was awesome! Then Yuuko kicked the dick out of Class A, and by extension the academy, and that was double awesome, and then Bando fell over and made a bigger idiot of himself, and that was just hilarious. Oh, sorry, derailment. Sorry. So, the only thing that I saw of Harrison and his sister was during the test of courage when they were FNAFed on the big screen, a few glimpses of them during the ESB war on Monday, on the telly, and yesterday when the brother was getting his shit rocked."

"But do you think he committed these crimes?"

"I dunno. Maybe, maybe not. I don't really hear about much that happens in Class A. All the drama tends to happen in Class F. Then again, I never really listen to anything that happens outside of my class, so I dunno."

"Sorry, Ms Ogawa, but one more question. What 'new guys'?"

"Hm? The Prometheans. You know, one guy's got mismatching eyes, one's blind, one's Italian, and one's a robot. You can't miss 'em."

* * *

 **Kudou Aiko's statement:**

"Ah, the guy's a cynical buzzkill and low key asshole who takes everything way too seriously, uses big words all of the time to make himself sound smarter than he already is, and doesn't find humour in literally anything at all. And no matter how much I tease him, he never seems interested in it at all, and always acts like he's better than everyone around him. Generally, I don't really like him all that well, just because of that attitude. But, from what I do know about the poor guy, is that he's got a heart of gold, though he just doesn't like to show it off. I dunno, fear of weakness, or somethin'. I also know that, no matter what, he wouldn't go off and steal an robot thingy just after he turned it down."

"So..."

"So no, I don't think he stole it. Harrison- Riley, is a good guy, with heart, and isn't an complete tool, even though he acts like it sometimes. He might not think things through too often, but he isn't an idiot. Well, okay, not that much of an idiot."

* * *

 **Teruya Zenzō's statement:**

"Hell yeah, I think he committed those crimes. That psycho bit my friend's hand. He bit it so hard that it bleed, for Christ's sake! That should be proof enough."

"Unfortunately, it's not."

"Hm, what was that?"

"I said, unfortunately it's not."

"Oh yeah, well yesterday he got one of his buddies to trip me up! I got a nosebleed, for god's sake! Shouldn't that be proof enough!"

"Well, maybe a bit more."

* * *

 **Kirishima Shouko's statement:**

"...No, I do not believe that he is guilty of these charges."

"Okay, are you sure?"

"...Yes."

"Is there anything else that you want to add?"

"...No."

"...Er, o...kay then."

* * *

Amy watched as Kirishima entered Class A, her grace as annoyingly infinite as ever. Just a few moments ago, Amy and everyone else in the room had seen the police car that had been parked at the parking lot leave, so they had all figured that the cops had finished interviewing all of the people that they wanted. Amy was glad that they took their time. It was the end of the day, and the academy was closing up now. Amy gathered as many people who had been interviewed as she could, which, honestly, wasn't that hard. So many people had been talked to, so there had been about a good 85% chance that someone had been talked to by the cops when she spoke to them. She had asked them about what the cops had told them, and most of the time, it had always been the same details. But, that didn't stop her from asking. A few rare times, there had been those little details. Those little differences. And those times were good enough reason to pester.

So, when Kirishima glided into the room, Amy jumped up, and jogged to the Class Representative. The fact that she was part of Yuuko's inner circle didn't matter to her. At least, not for the moment. She stopped herself right in front of Kirishima, and hurryingly asked, "Kirishima, did you get interviewed by the cops?"

"...Yes", stoically replied Kirishima, the delay in her voice still ever present, "...They wished to know if I found your brother guilty of charges of assault, theft, and sexual harassment. I had told them no."

"W-well, did they give you any details about it? Say anything important? Anything like that?" she forgot to say thanks.

"...They informed me that they expected to see me in the courthouse on Saturday. I tried to ask them about your brother, but the younger police officer seemed to disparage my question. The elderly officer said that he was in good hands."

Amy sighed. Nothing. No new details or anything.

"Give it a rest, Harrison", said Sanada Yuka, a girl from Class B who looked quite a lot like Iwashita Ritsuko, "That's what almost everyone has told you. Well, save for Mr Idiot over there, with his whole 'They seemed to treat me like I was a meanie' thing."

"Hey, lady", went Yoshii Akihisa (Who needn't any introduction at this point), "They just asked me if I was the one who lead the whole peeping incident at the training oh I see what they were talking about now. Oops."

"Oh, no, I'm sure it's fine. I mean, what are they going to do, throw you in prison for being an actual sex offender?"

"Really? They would be fine with it?"

"No, you moron, I was being... Actually, yeah. Yeah, really. It's all good. I'm sure you'll be A-OK."

"Oh, thank the heavens."

Amy ignored the pointless banter, and began to plan out what to do. On Saturday, her brother was being taken to court. They needed a plan on how to unfuck him- and by extension, her as well- from this current predicament, otherwise Riley would be on an inexorable march to prison.

"We need a plan", Yuuko dared to say, as she stood next to one of the fancy seats of Class A, "We need a good plan. Or a good defence, I think is the right term", she paused for a second, before going, "Does anyone know a good lawyer or some-"

"Okay, okay, Yuuko", went Amy, holding her arm out to her, silently telling her to be quiet, "Okay, your input or plan or whatever is great and all, and we all love you, but actually, it's not great, and no one loves you. Your plan's actually terrible. So, how about I be the one to come up with the plan, and you sit down, and shut your trap like a good girl. Okay? Okay. Okay? Okay."

Quite a few people in the room raised their eyebrows at Amy's short rant. A few others just shook their heads. No one stood up to say anything, though.

Yuuko, however, did seem genuinely offended, and started saying, "Hey, I'm trying to help you out here, Amy. I'm sure this may be a bit of a shock, but I honestly care about him as much as-"

"You care? You care? You. Care? If you cared about him, then you wouldn't have sicked Bando and his buddies on him and I. If you cared, then you would've left us alone. If you fucking care so much, then you would've stopped espousing this Class A superiority bs, listened to us and the entire protest at the beginning of the year, AND LET-", Amy calmed herself, before she raised the roof and ire of anyone else any further than she already had, but she didn't want to stop, "If you cared so much about him, Yuuko", she muttered, as she marched up to Yuuko, "You would've let us leave this social system ball crap, and not let Rika... Do what he did", she whispered that last part so quietly, she thought only Yuuko could hear it.

It would be very safe to assume that Amy seriously held what happened to Rika against Yuuko. Amy and Rika had been very good friends, and Amy had been developing serious feelings for the boy. But then... Yeah. What happened, happened, and Amy saw Yuuko as the prime reason for why it happened.

Yuuko had nothing to say. She just slumped down into one of the chairs next to her, and had the audacity to look down in shame. Shame? What shame? Yuuko felt no shame in her actions. Amy was certain of this.

Yet, why did she feel so guilty?

Most people didn't know what she had said that made Yuuko so sad. Only those next to them- Kudou and Kubo- Heard what she said, and they were shaking their heads in shamed anger. Amy just shrugged them off, and wiped away a tear that had involuntarily formed in her eye. She knew that she'd seriously regret her words, but at the moment, she really didn't care.

The door to Class A opened up. Amy turned herself to the door to see John Prometheus walk through the door, and into the room. Amy could see him eye his backpack- He must've left it behind- and went to get it. Amy got in the way of his path, and asked, "John! Johnny boy! Johnny my man!"

"Too comfortable", went John.

"Right. Sorry", replied Amy, Before saying, "Hey, you and the other Prometheans were interviewed by the cops right?"

John looked at Amy for a few seconds, and then said, "'Did they interview us'? 'Did they interview us'? Um, no, they never interviewed us. They never- They never approached us."

"Huh?"

"They never spoke to us. They didn't speak to me, nor Andre, or Mateuz, or Jack", he shrugged his shoulders, before saying, "I don't know why."

"W-well, did you at least try to seek them out?"

"Um, yeah. Yeah, yeah I- I mean, we- tried to seek them out- 'Cause we'd heard about this whole your-brother-getting-arrested thing- But we, well, we never found them.

"Are you sure?"

"Um, I'd be pretty sure if I tried to find a bunch of cops, I'd be certain of it", his tone shifted to one of defence.

"There's no need to be hostile, John."

"Right, sorry. So sorry. I guess I'm a bit on edge. Or, something", he shrugged to himself. It seemed like he wasn't really sure of what he was saying himself. He seemed kinda like a cigarette addict going through withdrawal.

Amy could tell that he was lying to a degree, but what specifically about, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that he was lying, and that was really pissing her off.

John hesitantly scratched the back of his head, before saying, "Um, I should probably-"

"Grab your bag?" sardonically asked Amy, "Yeah. Yeah sure. Go forth, our wayward warrior", she said, putting on a mock accent and smile, as she made a salute with her right hand as she said that last sentence, and then crisply flipped herself around, and faced everyone else in the room, a foul expression laid on her face. She gazed over all of the people in the room, sans John Prometheus.

Yoshii Akihisa, Suzuki Ichirō, Sanada Yuka, Kinoshita Yuuko herself and her sister Hideyoshi, whom needed little introduction, the crossdresser guy from Class F, whom Amy was informed from Yoshii that he was Minami Shimada, Mikami Yoshiko, Kirishima Shouko (Whom had seated herself while Amy and John were having their altercation) and Kubo Toshi-something-something-or-other, were all siting down on chairs, that had been rearranged to form a sort of semicircle, while Kudou Aiko, Hiraga Genji not-the-ninja-from-Overwatch, Nakano Kenta, Satou Miho, Tsuchiya Kouta (Whom currently had a pair of tissues stuffed up his nose after getting a nosebleed from Kudou offering to flash him. Dirty bitch), Nakabay-whatever-the-hell-her-lest-name-is Hiromi, Ogawa Mayura, and about a good few dozen or more people were standing around the semicircle, most of them paying attention, while the rest were either daydreaming, or talking to one another. All of the people present had been interviewed by the cops, regardless of Class, rank, or status. Amy could tell that Kinoshita Yuuko was very lukewarm about letting those from lower classes come into Class A, and sit on the furniture (Amy remembered seeing the girl glaring at everyone as they came inside, like a predator to hapless prey), but she had swallowed her haughty distain, and put those annoyances to the back of her mind. At least, Amy figured so.

Amy took a deep breath, swearing to whatever god could hear her, even though she'd never taken the time to look into any of the apocryphal teachings of religions, and said, "Look, I guess I don't need to tell ya'll why you're here. Why I've gathered you all here. For those of you who are wondering- Yoshii, Suzuki, I'm looking at you-

""Hey.""

"-Lemme give you a run down: Riley's in prison. My brother is in prison. Cops are saying that he's a criminal. A sex offender. That he stole Maya even after he turned her down."

"Um, if he turned her down, then why did she call him her, well, you know", asked Shimada.

"I don't know. I know you all might think I might know, but I don't. We don't. Riley and I were gonna find a way to get it to Bando, and avoid any of this legal shite, but we were too late. My brother isn't a thief. He isn't a fucking sex offender as well, and ya'll know this as well."

A chorus of nods and agreeing murmurs followed. Yuuko seemed to hesitate for a second, before joining the crowd.

"However, we're broke. Me and my brother, we can't afford a lawyer, we can't make our case without a lawyer, and we definitely can't represent ourselves in a courtroom. Not without, I don't know, legal training, or something."

"So, what do we do?" asked Kubo, whom was half looking at Yoshii. Yoshii, meanwhile, was eyeing Prometheus John, who was himself moving towards the door.

"We work together. We pool our money in together, we get a good guy to defend Riley, we, I don't know, make sure he doesn't land in jail", she didn't know if she'd convinced everyone, so she then said, "Look, I don't know what to do. I really don't. But I don't want to see Riley in prison for something that he didn't do. So please, help me. Help me prove his innocence, and I'll be in your debt. Forever..."

She didn't know if they'd agree. She didn't know if they'd want to help. She didn't know wherever she'd... She just didn't know.

Not everyone helped. Kirishima (Amy wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that) And Sanada were the biggest contributors, seeing as Kirishima gave most of the funds, and Sanada said that she knew a good lawyer. Those who did contribute to the money collection as well, like Ogawa, Shimada, Nakano, and Hiraga, were just as appreciated as well though.

But again, not everyone helped. Some, like Yoshii, blamed a lack of funds. Some, like Mikami, made up some trivial excuse. Some, like Kudou just shook their heads, and some, like John, just walked out of the room in silence.

Amy watched those whom didn't help at all silently leave Class A, and head back to their homes. Considering her words, and what she'd said, she didn't really hold it against any of them for not assisting.

Much.

* * *

The cell was cold, and dark. There was no door that lead into the cell. Only a set of bars. The rest of the walls had what looked like patches of paint on them, though it looked like it was from a previous coat, which had eroded away with time. The wall opposite to the cell bars held a single view to the outside, with a pair of bars blocking the way to the outside world. The only things which defined the cell was a messy, uncomfortable excuse of a bed, a toilet, and a sink. That was it. The floor was rough, and uneven. Outside of the cell, Riley could see that his cell was just one of many, with all of the other cells kept in a uniform position. He was on the first floor up of the prison. _Big place, this is_ , he thought to himself. However, it was all grungy, and filth ridden. It looked like someone had tried to clean it all, but decided not to bother many years ago, and just left it all to rot and rust. The only clean thing in the prison were the guards, who wore blue guard uniforms, had pistols holstered to their sides, batons clipped to their belts, and wore white masks over their mouths, making them look uniform, and something less than human, almost like robots.

At least the prisoners were kept in different cell blocks. Riley remembered coming into the cell block. He remembered seeing a map on a wall as he was lead through the corridors. He was in the juvenile section. For those whom committed infractions, yet were too young to be kept with all of the other prisoners. However, that didn't make him feel better. He remembered coming into the cell block after he had changed into his prisoner getup, hearing the various juvenile prisoners yelling things, though it eventually all commingled together, into an ugly mix of sounds and cries.

He paid it all no mind. At least, he tried not to. Eventually, the sounds died down, and he was left in silence, on his own, in the cell.

He hated it. He hated the cell. He hated the silence. He hated the loneliness. It felt like it was all creeping up upon him, threatening to consume him in it's ravenous maw.

He sat in the far corner of the room, and pulled his legs closer to his chest, hugging them. What was he to do? Just sit there, and wait for... Something. Anything. He didn't know what he was suppose to do. He remembered his sister saying that he would come down to the prison later on, and they would talk. About what, he didn't really want to think about. He was content with staying with his thoughts for a while. He hoped to himself that this his time in a prison of any kind, particularly at the moment this one, would just be a sojourn, and that he would be out of here in a few days, once this whole trial thing was over and done with.

God, his life sucked arse.

{CLANG} went the sound against his cell bars. Riley looked up, to see a guard looking into his cell, baton in hand. He had either been so unobtrusive earlier until he banged against the bars that Riley didn't hear him, or Riley was just so lost in his makeshift bubble that he had shut out everything from the outside world (He had a distinct habit of the latter). In the end, it didn't really matter.

"Oi, straighten up", went the guard, as he reached for his keys, "You've got a visitor."

"Who, my sister?" Riley asked, but the guard was not forthcoming, merely sliding open the cell door, and moving to the side. The cops in this city weren't exactly known for their candour, so he wasn't really sure what he expected.

However, he couldn't say that he was surprised when he saw who his visitor was.

There, at the door of his cell, was Bando himself, looking all smug at the same time- Even though his face was still battered and covered with superficial bruises and wounds from the events yesterday, his chipped tooth visible- his hands- His right one still had bite marks in it- Were on his waist, and his mouth a smug grin. He put his hand over his mouth, seemingly stifling his mirth, before taking dramatically large steps into the cell, and stopping right in front of Riley, leaning down to him, before saying, "You know, I've always wondered what you'd look like on your knees in a cell. _Hmph_ , gotta say, kind of an anti-climax", his grin never faded.

"Well, I guess I'm full of disappointment", said Riley, his face impassive, but his tone laced with defiance. He wasn't about to start quailing around him. Not today.

"Oh ho ho", Bando's laugh was dramatic and hammy, and sounded more forced than natural, "Oh contraire, contraire, I'm actually quite please about this", he straightened himself out, before saying, "You're in a prison cell, where you'll waste away for, ooooo, I don't know the specifics, but it'll be enough to completely ruin your life."

"As if you hadn't already done that", muttered Riley, hiding away his quailed tone.

"Exactly", muttered Bando as well. Maybe he didn't want to be heard by the guard. Riley didn't care. Bando continued in a whisper, "Now, you'll be gone- Maybe you'll be killed in prison over potato salad or something, in which case, all the better- And my dear Yuuko will finally be rid of that little 'fascination' with you, and she'll see the error of her ways, and be for my love and forgiveness- Which I will strenuously provide- and bada bing, bada boom, she'll let me back in Class A, and we'll be together, and all will be well again, as is right", the albino finishing orating, his smug never fading.

Riley was acutely aware as to the ridiculousness of Bando's hammy little speech, and tired to stifle his own mirth at it all, as he said incredulously, "I'm starting to think that the only reason you're in Class A is because your mummy's sugar daddy brought your way in. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd never taken you for Class A material, considering the idiocy of yours, but, I mean, c'mon."

Bando seemed to take easy offense to this. His hands moved to his sides, and his fingers began to flex, but his face remained neutral.

"Also, that Kinoshita stuff. I mean, I know she's a prideful bitch- Emphasis on prideful- Who sent you on me when I didn't act the way she wanted me too, but I'm pretty sure she has standards, mate. Standards higher then you."

Bando's face shifted to a snarl, and his fingers balled to a fist, but he let out a loud sigh, and his fists unclamped themselves. It seemed that even Bando wasn't stupid enough to hit someone in front of a law official.

" _Hmph_. Doesn't matter what you say. Never did, never will", said Bando, "You suddenly had the ball bearings to steal from me- ME\- and now, you're going to the slammer for it. Justice, is, ala served."

"I didn't steal Maya", Riley said stubbornly, "Why would I? It was- I'm pretty sure it was on national television, or something. Why would I-"

"Shut up."

Riley's obsequious nature took over, and he silenced himself.

"You know, it doesn't really matter. If it did, it doesn't now. You're gonna be making a home in this cell for a very long time, I'll take back my property, and Yuuko will- Obviously- Let me back into Class A, and boom. All's good."

 _You know, you'd probably still be allowed into Class A anyway_ , Riley thought to himself, _I mean, I don't know, maybe Kinoshita did make it permanent, and made sure that you really were booted from the academy, but I don't know. Maybe she doesn't have as much authority as I thought, he then said_ , "There's still the trial. The courtroom. The court case, etc. There's still all that to go."

"That's all inconsequential. I'll win, obviously, and then you'll go to prison. Permanently."

"I'm assuming you've got a case to support your side", Riley figured that that was how it went. He hadn't really watched any court cases before (In person or on telly) but he assumed that that was how it all went.

"Obviously, but once again, it's all inconsequential. I'll just be done with all of this legal nonsense, and then, you'll be in prison. Like I've said, ooooohh, 2 or 3 times now", Bando muttered the last part, counting his fingers as he silently spoke.

Riley had nothing to say. He found himself unable to find any rhetoric to say, at the moment. He began to contemplate his situation, his mind drifting from the events on Monday, to Tuesday, to earlier this day, to Amy, to the ESB War on Monday, to the presentation, to Maya.

Maya. Where was it? Throughout the whole of the day, Riley had only ever thought of Maya when his main concern was trying to find a way out of this whole mess of a situation. Now, he felt concern for. Was it okay? Was it safe? He felt a moral obligation to make sure that Maya was safe, and in good hands.

Although, he knew he needn't concern himself so. Maya was an android, after all. A product. Not a real being. Yet he couldn't help but feel great concern for it.

A small part of him had begun to miss the attention that Maya had given him. He had found himself missing the soft and gentle feeling of Maya's hand soothing his hurt cheek, and lulling him into comfort. He found himself wanting the caring look that Maya gave him. The soft sound of it's voice. The motherly love in her- It's movements and expressions (He wasn't sure if it was ironic or not, seeing as how he didn't remember his mother. He didn't remember most, if not all, of his life before the age of 10 or 11). Although, he knew that he would be fine if it'd drop the multitudinous times that it had called him 'Master'. He wasn't exactly keen on that bit. He had never been.

Maybe he only wanted it back for selfish reasons. Maybe that was it. Maybe he didn't really care about Maya's wellbeing. Maybe all he wanted was to just be in it's presence, and wrap himself up in it's warming aura, taking everything and never giving back. He really didn't want to be like that. He didn't want to be like one of those ornery people who only got into relationships to take everything from the other. Well, sure, Riley was ornery as hell, just to clarify, but he didn't want to be engaging in a one sided relationship where the odds were ever in his favour. He wanted it to be fair, for both of them. Other give to him, he give to other. Something like that. Of course, he'd never say it. Not to anyone ever, but still. And considering Maya and her origins, he had found himself in one of those relationships that he had wished to avoid. He didn't want to be like that. If he'd ever see Maya again, he would try and... Well, he wasn't sure what specifically he'd do, but he knew that he would do something about changing the kind of relationship that they were- Or had been- In, and making it much more fair, for the both of them. But then, would that be what Maya would want? He didn't know, and something inside of him told him that he didn't really want to know.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a blue light shining into the cells, accompanied by a raucous buzzing, and looked past the albino boy in front of him, and out of the cell, to see one of those flying drones from the presentation on Monday shining a bright cerulean light into his cell, his eyes assailed by the bright light. It seemed that the Fumizuki police forces had started to incorporate CI's robots into their own forces, just as Kobashigawa had said that they would on Monday.

A thought crossed into Riley's mind. He harrumphed, before asking, "Why don't you just buy another android? Or I guess would be more appropriate, why don't you just get your sugar daddy to buy you another one?" he didn't even bother to coverup the small little insult in his question, "I mean, it cant be that hard."

"Oh, yeah. I could, couldn't I?" said Bando, who kept up his apt smugness, "But you know what? It's not as satisfying- It's not as cathartic- As watching the one guy you hate the most, with all of your fucking heart, go to the slammer for the rest of their life. Or at least long enough to ruin their life to the fullest. Tell me, what's better: Just getting another robot, or watching the one guy you hate the most go for prison for stealing your shit, and then get that same stuff that was stolen back, Hm?"

Riley didn't give an answer. Instead, he just said, "Even if I am found guilty- Which I am not- Why would I go away for the rest of my life? The most a minor can go away for theft is 2 weeks", _I think_ , he neglected to say.

"Hm. Probably", muttered Bando, before going, "But, pretty sure that just for one crime. Let's just say I've got friends who are quite forthcoming."

Riley stayed silent for a second, before going, "Why tell me all of this? What's the point?"

Bando just shrugged, and said, "Probs my last chance to gloat, so, well, I figured 'why the hell not'", he turned his back on Riley, and walked to the open cell door. Before he left, Bando looked back, and said, "I'll see you Friday", in a singsong voice, belying his true nature, before giddily walking away.

The guard closed the door again, leaving Riley in silence once more.

* * *

Amy admired the opulent room around her. The walls were an puce colour, though it could hardly be seen by all of the book shelves that obfuscated them. The paintjob on the ceiling was a silver colour, and a fancy looking light shone from the ceiling, illumining the room in a warming ivory colour. The floor had a fluffy carpet, beige in colour, and felt like wool. In the middle of the circular room was a single, fancy looking desk, which looked like it was made out of oak. On top of the desk, there were a few stacks of paper, a single lamp, which looked like it was custom, and the only one of it's kind, a name plaque, and a few pens and pencils. Behind the desk, there was a antique chair with white cushions, and a silvery paint coat, and in front of the desk, were 3 chairs of the same make. The room smelt of polished wood, and an exotic smelling air freshener.

 _Definitely feels weird being back in the echelons of the 1%_ , pondered Amy to herself, as she took a seat on the middle chair, with Kirishima sitting to her right, and Sanada to her left.

It was late in the day, and the hadean sun was setting and bleeding red, though it could hardly be visible from the dreary grey clouds in the sky (Autumn weather was an ass), as Amy looked out of the window on the opposite wall, behind the desk. She ruefully looked down, saddened that this was once her life, and now...

Doesn't matter. Ponder later.

The door behind them opened, and the 3 girls turned around to see whom they'd come for entering the room. A Miss Sanada Miyuki stood present, with light purple hair and eyes, papers under arm, and wearing glasses, earrings, and a suit and tie. She looked like a sort of grown up version of Sanada Yuka, and in a business suit (Amy could see the family resemblance). The mother of Sanada Yuka shuffled past the chairs and to her desk, putting the papers down, and folding her hands together, an inviting smile forming on her face.

Amy decided to start with the niceties, "Um, hi. Hello there. I, well, I assume that you're Miss Sanada Miyuki", she had seen her from a photo provided by Sanada Yuka, and it would've been safe to assume that the woman that was currently sitting in Sanada Yuka's desk was the real deal, but it paid to be sure.

"Ah, of course", Sanada Miyuki replied. Her voice was warm and inviting, so unlike what Amy had imagined. Sanada Miyuki held her hand out, to which Amy gingerly took. Sanada Yuka smirked at Amy's discomfort, to which she received a glare. Kirishima remained neutral, her hands on her lap, and her face as expressionless as always. Sanada Miyuki spoke up once more, "I take it you are Miss Harrison Amy, as well?"

"Mm, yeah", answered Amy, as she let go of her hand, unsure of what to say next.

Sanada Miyuki looked to Kirishima, and asked, "And to whom may you be?"

"Kirishima Shouko", said Kirishima, with no waver or hesitation in her voice. Amy was quite surprised that she wasn't doing what she was usually partaking in at around all the time (Chasing down Sakamoto with a taser). Her impression of her was slowly improving.

"Hm, well, I am pleased to meet you", Sananda Miyuki politely said. She then looked to her daughter, smiled, and slowly waved to her. Sanada Yuka quickly tilted her head away in embarrassment, but her mother just giggled at it. She then looked to Amy, and went, "I've read your case, Miss Harrison", Amy blushed slightly at being called 'Miss', while Sanada Miyuki ignored it, and picked up one of the papers that she'd brought in, "Just read about it, actually."

"That's not important", firmly said Amy, deciding to do away with the niceties, "Can you help? Please. We- We've got the money. A lot of people contributed, and they're willing to testify my brother's innocence as well. And I can get a lot of evidence to support him as well."

"Of course I can help", smiled Sanada Miyuki, as she put the paper down, leading to a brief elation from Amy, before she calmed down, and Sanada Miyuki spoke again, "You've got a good case against Fujita Masaie anyway, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem on that aspect."

"Wait, who?" asked Amy, her eyebrows arched.

"Fujita Masaie. The one who's pressing charges against your brother."

"Never heard of him."

"Huh. That's surprising. He's a business tycoon. Works with Chimera and ONI, representing smaller groups and companies. Quite famous, really."

"Still never heard of him."

"Hm, well, I suspect that he's only famous in the business world. And I take it you're not in said business work? At least, not yet?"

"Still in high school", said Kirishima. Amy wanted to protest, but then thought that it would be counterproductive and pointless, and so decided not to.

"Yeah, I'm still in- I'm still in high school", Amy shamelessly admitted, "But that's not important."

"Agreed", said Sanada Miyuki, "What is important is beating Fujita, and getting your brother out."

"So, how do we do that?" asked Amy, who noticed that Sanada Yuka hadn't really said a word during this whole interaction. She glanced a look, to see that Sanada Yuka was twirling her hair

"Well, you've got a good case so far", said Sanada Miyuki, "Quite a good case, lemme just say", she seemed to hesitate for a moment, before saying, "Though there are a few points of concern."

Amy grew worried when she heard that. It took her a few moment before asking, "What points of concern do you mean?"

"Don't worry. It's just a few. They seem to be quite minute when compared to everything else with the case."

 _She didn't even answer my question_ , thought Amy. She pondered a little bit longer, before a certain thought formed in her head, and she asked, "What about the judge? What about the jury? The court? Fumizuki City doesn't exactly have a good track record for anti corruption in the law system."

"Well, good news is that I've looked over the jury, and all that. We've got a judge called, um", she grabbed another piece of paper, and began to look it over, "Hm, Amari Haruto. That's what his name was", she turned back to the 3 girls in front of her, and said, "Sorry. Forgot. His first name, I mean. I thought it was Naruto, but I wanted to make sure", she put the paper down, and added, "Yeah, Judge Amari's one of the good judges. Doesn't pule in the way of corruption. If Fujita or someone else decides to try and buy him out, he won't take it."

Amy surveyed the woman sitting behind the desk in front of her further. The way she looked, the way she talked, the way she, well, everything that she could see. She didn't trust her. The way she smiled and talked was unnervingly sweet. Plus, this entire meetup just seemed like a pageantry for her to wax her skills. Then again, Amy hardly ever trusted anyone she just met. Trust issues. She didn't really want to go into it.

Then again, it was the same with her brother. Trust issues, she meant. When they met each other, long ago, they hadn't trusted each other. Circumstance wedded them together, by their apparent misfortune. They generally didn't like each other.

Now, she couldn't imagine a life without him. And, she suspected, him her.

She didn't like to think about it. Her life back in New York. Before she ran away to Britain. Before she met her brother. It wasn't happy. It wasn't anything. Not anything good. Guess where the trust issues came from.

Now, she was with one of- No, the only person who actually gave a crap about her.

And she would be damned if she'd let him go.

"Miss Harrison?"

Amy shook her head, "Sorry. Zoned out."

Sanada Miyuki arched her eyebrows for a single second, then let out a quiet breath, and said, "The jury themselves, I'm not too sure of. Some of them are good guys, a few of them, not so good. So, pardon me for saying, the jury's off with that one."

"Hm", Amy contemplated on that for a moment.

"Well, there is a big part of the case that I did want to discuss, right now", began Sanada Miyuki, "It's about the android itself."

Amy wanted to say that Riley didn't steal Maya, but she figured that Sanada Miyuki already knew that. Well, she at least knew that she'd say that.

"We- As in I- haven't gotten the report on the memory wipe equipment from CI yet- Because we're suppose to- But, right now, with the android, we've got about 2 possibilities: 1, the android's memory wipe did fail, and it did follow you home, or 2... Well..."

Sanada Miyuki didn't finish her sentence. Amy figured that she didn't want to voice the (False) option that Riley did steal it. Maybe she'd seen the scowl on Amy's face. Maybe she didn't want to set her off. Probably a mix of both. Didn't matter. Like a lot, these days.

"So", continued Sanada Miyuki, "I just wanted to ask you about your account. Of the events on Monday, and your discovery of the android itself, I mean."

"I was already interviewed by the cops", said Amy, "Didn't they write it down and give it to you?"

"Well, yeah. But it wasn't very comprehensive. Not very telling. So, I wanted to hear it from you."

Amy hesitated for a moment, forming a response in her head. She unconsciously looked to Sanada Yuka, and then to Kirishima, whom gave her a little nod (Did she think that she was seeking her approval?). Amy refocused herself, and then, looking to Sanada Miyuki- Whom had a pen and a little piece of paper in hand- She said, "Right. Well, I was at my work, at one of the bars downtown- I work with a guy called Mr Matsuoka. Matsuoka Eijirou- When I saw my brother turn down Maya on the TV there. After that, about, oh, I'd say half an hour to 45 minutes later, I got a call from Shimada Sander- He's a doctor or psychiatrist or something, who works at Natsu Hospital downtown- Who'd said that Riley had arrived at the hospital. Alone. I then gave my excuse to Mr Matsouka, and he let me off early. I then went to Natsu Hospital, trudging through the rain, and met up with Riley, who was being treated by another doctor. Tsuchiya Hachirou."

Amy noted that Sanada Miyuki was writing down something on the small piece of paper. Kirishima took a peek at the paper, and whispered to Amy that she was taking notes of what Amy was saying. Amy took a look herself, and saw that it was mostly a recount of what Amy had been saying. There were a few notes added in as well, but Amy couldn't properly tell what they said. Even after living in Japan for so long, Amy still hadn't gotten a hang of all of the kanji yet.

Sanada Miyuki looked at her, slightly confused as to why she had stopped. Amy continued on from where she left off, "Anyway, we both left the hospital, and ran through the rain. We got back to the apartment after about, ugh, I don't know how long exactly, and then sometime later, at about 7:30, I think, some reporter or something arrived at the door, and started asking for us. We didn't let him in. We didn't even let him know that we were there. I think he left a while later, but I don't know what specific time, seeing as I didn't check until 8:30. We went to bed shortly after, but at about, 2:30 in the morning, I think, I heard a loud scream from my brother's room, and I entered to see Maya looking over him. Our neighbour, Yoshii Akihisa, heard us, and asked what we were doing, and I ever so discretely told him that I'd tell him the next day- Which I don't think we ever got around too, if I'mma be real honest- Then we went to be again because Riley said that he really didn't want to think about it until the next morning. Then we just left for school, and Riley locked Maya in the apartment, and apparently it broke out, and... Well, I figure that you know the rest from there."

"Hm, not really", said Sanada Miyuki, as she looked up from her pen and paper, "I mean, don't get me wrong, the case file that I have is detailed, but, again, it isn't very comprehensive."

"And you'd like to know more?"

"Um, well, yes, is you wouldn't be so kind."

"Mm", grunted Amy, before going, "Um, well, when we got to the school, we were left in peace for a bit, but before long, Bando and his lot popped round our little area- We've kinda got unofficial little areas reserved for each other in Class A. Kinda like those little designated sections in museums which only certain people are allowed in. Where was I? Oh yeah, Bando and his group showed up, and well, harassing would be a bit of an understatement. He had his, 'buddies'", one could practically taste the air quotes and pregnant pause, "Hold me back, and he started beating down on my brother. It's- It's why he has all of the bruises and lacerations. Across him, I mean. that's why he has all of the cuts and bruises across him. Anyways, he was getting beaten down on, and I was being held back, and everyone else decided that camaraderie and getting involved and helping out wasn't the latest trend anymore and as such only people with the maximum brain capacity of the lovechild between Katie Hopkins and a retarded cantaloupe which is currently on fire would bother to have some common human decency (Sarcastic mode switched on automatically, by the way. Not sorry at all). But then..."

Amy stopped herself. She remembered that Riley had omitted the involvement of the Prometheans when explaining the situation to the Principal yesterday, so should she leave out that part as well? Was it illegal to leave out that kind of thing?

She figured, _Yeah_ , it was kinda illegal to not at least mention that sort of thing. Might as well. They- Or rather, John- Weren't exactly chomping at the bit to help out (John seemed quite insistent on not helping out), plus, it did look like they were hiding something from her. So, this could be considered a bit of low key revenge on her part. It did seem petty, yes, but she didn't care. When did she or Riley ever care about being petty?

She then continued, "Then, some new guys- We call 'em the Prometheans, by the way- Came in. Smashed Bando's head against a table. It was awesome, by the way. Should've been there."

"I'll... Take your word for it", muttered Sanada Miyuki, as she continued to write on her little piece of paper.

"Well, then, 2 of them stopped a couple of Bando's lot from getting in the way, and one of the Prometheans- John- Gave Bando 10 long seconds to run away before he'd snap his neck and no, I'm not kidding. Not really."

Kirishima shot Amy a quick, emotionless glare, it's intent clear. She was silently, and contemptuously, chastising her for trying to sell out those whom helped her on Tuesday. Amy simply ignored it. The Prometheans had made it a conscious effort to not help them earlier today, and as such, they weren't exactly about to get any sympathy from her.

Amy continued on, "Oh, what happened next? Oh yeah. Then, Maya showed up- Turned out she'd unlocked the door with a hairclip or something- And she helped out my brother. Basically soothed him and made Bando started making a right old din. It was funny. It was actually very funny to watch him have a temper tantrum like that. But it was loud, and annoying after a bit. Anyways, Kinoshita hen decided to actually do something good for once in her life and kicked the albino ass out of Class A (Not that I ever believed that she had the power to do so)."

Kirishima gave Amy another still glare. She didn't seem to like Amy telling the truth about her 'friend'. Amy paid it no mind once again. She wasn't about to have an epiphany and pule to Kirishima for making a big meanie bo beanie to Kinoshita.

"Then we were all called down to the Principal's office. She ended up 'Letting Riley off', as if he'd done something bad in the first place (I'm not apologising for the attitude. Salty Amy is obviously salty). Then Riley went and cleaned up Maya a bit-"

More like washed the blood off of her. Amy pleasantly remembered watching Riley try and decide which bathroom to go in, seeing as how he was a dude, and Maya was a girl. If he went into the boy's bathroom, Maya would get catcalled by teenage boys who's hormones were akin to that of a whale trapped in a glass bottle. If he went into the girl's bathroom, he'd get slapped around like a ragdoll and called a pervert. She remembered him then yelling, "Fuck it", and just going into the Hideyoshi bathroom (Why did she get her own bathroom? The injustice of this world...)

"-And after that, we ended up just isolating ourselves for the rest of the day, seeing as how we had both ended up as the talk of the school, Maya was practically clinging to him like a lost pup and was refusing to leave, and we really didn't want to talk to anyone, as we already knew the questions that we'd be asked by literally everyone who'd bother to try and talk to us. After going through the whole day narrowly avoiding about a baker's dozen awkward conversations with people we really didn't care all that much about, we went back home, and I had to go to work, and I just left him to look through a phonebook and try and find Bando's number, so that he could return Maya to him. Suffice to say, that didn't work out. Then morning came, and...", Amy stopped herself for a second, gathering her thoughts, before going, "My brother got arrested, Maya was seized, we raised the money to get us here, and, well, here we are."

Sanada Miyuki kept writing for another minute, leaving the room in awkward silence for way too long, only pierced by the sounds of the pen scribbling onto the paper. Once the awkward minute had ceased, the older woman placed her pen and paper onto her desk, allowing Amy to see what she'd written down. Once again, just the important parts of what she'd said, and once again, she had small problems grasping the kanji. Also, she had ridiculously small handwriting. Just sayin'.

Sanada Miyuki then spoke, "It's a bit of a... curious case, if I must say so, myself. But, I will admit, there is a lot of evidence that supports your case."

"Yes", Amy whispered to herself, a smile forming on her face. Kirishima said nothing, her expression as cool as ever. Sanada Yuka looked to Amy, her eyebrows arched, as she hadn't quite heard what she'd just said.

"Although, I would like to go over everything again, just to confirm it all, and iron out any niggling flaws", Sanada Miyuki said, before putting her hands together, and saying, "But, I suppose that can wait till another day, can't it?"

"Mm", Amy grunted in response, before asking, "Er, when should we meet up again? I'm assuming Friday morning or something. I'm probably gonna be busy tomorrow. You know, school, and work and all."

"Oh, yes yes, of course", said Sanada Miyuki, as se reached down to another draw in her desk, "Lemme just get another pit of paper out of here... There we go", she said, placing another scrap of paper onto her desk, before going, "Well, on Friday, you'll most likely be pulled out of your school, as well as anyone else from there participating in the court hearing, so that's covered. Um...", she paused for a few moments, before going, "Does maybe about, oooooh, 7:30, maybe 8ish sound good to you?"

"8. Yeah, 8 in the morning?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, that'll- That'll work fine."

They then exchanged info with each other on how to contact the other (Amy had asked Sanada Yuka and Kirishima to look away and cover their ears when they got to this part) and decided to part their ways till the trial on Friday. Saying their thanks to each other, Amy left Sanada Miyuki's office, with Kirishima following as well. Sanada Yuka stayed behind, more on her mother's volition then her own.

Amy looked to her side, to ask Kirishima why she'd tagged along in the first place, only to see that she'd already gone.

 _Must've gone after Sakamoto again_ , she figured, _No idea what she sees in him._

She shrugged it off, and started walking to the police station. It was time to talk to her brother.

* * *

 _Thursday 6th October 2022_

* * *

"[Bloody hell, they didn't let you in?}" asked Riley, as he talked into the wired phone, and looked to Amy past the glass. They were in the visitation room of the prison centre, and were talking to each other through the phones that connected the 2 sides of the room, which were separated by a wall with windows and cubicles built into it. At one of those cubicles, Riley looked through the glass at his sister, and spoke in English once more, "[Yesterday, I mean. The cops didn't let you in yesterday]", he looked to a clock near the entrance of the room on his side of the glass. It was about 11:45PM. Amy usually finished her shift at about 11:30PM. She must've run all the way to the prison centre.

"[No. No, they didn't]", replied Amy in English as well, over the phone on her side of the window, "[Well, first I went to the police station, and they directed me here, and then they didn't let me in. Said you already had a visitor that day. Whole '1 guy a day' thing or whatever.]"

"[Bando.]"

"[What?]"

"[Bando was the one who visited me yesterday. Came to brag. He's the one who got me in jail. I don't think he outright said it, but it was pretty obvious]", it really was. Riley had known Bando long enough to know that he was a spoilt, sadistic, and petulant piece of work. There would've been no way that he'd have missed out on an opportunity to make him suffer.

"[That mother...]", Riley saw Amy's hands shake, then calm, overcoming her seemingly growing bellicosity, "[The lawyer that I talked to yesterday- Sanada Miyuki- Said that the one who'd made the charges against you was called Fujita Maze-I, or something. Some business tycoon or whatever. Must've been that guy that Bando mentioned on Monday.]"

"[Never heard of the guy.]"

"[Neither did I. He's probably gonna be the one we face off in the courtroom, if I had to take a guess. Though I'm not sure, to be honest.]"

"[Nor I. This whole situation just seems really abstract to me. I mean]", he made somewhat of a shrugging gesture with his spare hand, and continued, "[I'd have never expected us to be held up in court over the ownership of a freaking robot, with the one legally holding us up being our cliché high school bully]", he paused, leaning back on his cubicle chair, before adding, "[Then again, in this city...]", he paused for a moment, before looking back to Amy and going, "[Sorry. Thinking.]"

"[S'alright. Take your time.]"

"[To be honest, I really don't want to. Take my time, I mean. I want this whole mess to just skip to tomorrow and let us get through that whole predicament. Because this]", he gestured to his prison jumpsuit, "[This is not comfortable. And can I just say that the prison cell that I'm in is substantially lacking in, well, everything]", he stopped his tiny rant before it turned into a tirade on the state of the modern prison, and asked, "[How's your day been? At the Academy, I mean? And your workplace too. No one's giving you grief?]"

"[Well, there were a few at the academy that were asking questions, but less so than yesterday or Tuesday]", Amy said, rubbing 2 fingers on her free hand together, "[Seems like most of our peers have turned their attention to the events on Monday. Everyone's getting riled up. Kinoshita was sanctimoniously pontificating about order, or something or other, . Class E still hasn't been fixed, the new guys are keeping to themselves, Class B and C are sulking, and Class F is still missing their sign.]"

"[Couldn't they just get a new one? Class F, I mean. Couldn't they just get a new sign?]"

"[Yeah, they could. But they haven't, for some reason. I tried to tell Yoshii to get a new sign, instead of pestering the robot, but he got carried away by the Triple F when I said 'Hi'.]"

"[Well, I guess that's normal.]"

"[Unfortunately.]"

"[Yeah, I suppose]", finished Riley, before asking, "[Anything else happen?]"

"[Well, I was able to talk to a few people about tomorrow. Tamano, Sanada Yuka and her mom, Ogawa, and a few others. Thankfully, when I got to my job, only Mr Matsuoka knew, and he figured not to make a big show of it all]", Amy looked to be in deep thought for a few seconds, before saying, "[I told him that I probably wouldn't be able to go in tomorrow, and he let me off, though he did give me a warning about missing or excusing myself from too many shifts.]"

"[Makes sense. Can't miss too many shifts in the space of a week. Looks bad for your CV]", commented Riley.

"[I'm not sure if Japan have CVs.]"

"[Really?]"

Amy shrugged in response. She didn't seem to be entirely sure as well.

"[Oh]", was Riley's response.

"Hm", went Amy, before saying, "[Well, at least we've got a game plan for tomorrow]", she didn't let Riley ask what that 'Game plan' was, "[Sanada Miyuki says that we've got a good case in court against the tycoon guy- And Bando by extension, I suppose- So that's a good'un. I actually got a call from Sanada Miyuki earlier today, saying that some construction guy submitted a complaint to the police that actually supports you- Us, I mean.]"

 _Construction guy?_ thought Riley to himself, _What construct- Wait. That worker from Monday. The one who helped me up. Did he actually... Oh, bloody idi- I told him not to. I told him not to have words with Fumizuki Academy_ , he sighed to himself, before thinking, _Christ, I'm a terrible person._

"[What's up?]" asked Amy.

"[Oh, nothing. Nothing]", answered Riley, "[Just having a thought.]"

"Mm hm", hummed Amy, "[Okay, well, we've got a good standing, and a good case. So, all you need to do is keep your cool, and not be like Bando- Which should be obvious at this point- And we'll be good to go.]"

Riley couldn't think of a verbal response, so he just nodded his head in acknowledgement, and let out a grunt.

"[Well, aren't you talkative today?]"

"...[Shut up.]"

Amy let out a chuckle at his foible, and said, "[Hey, I should-]"

"[You should- Yeah, you should get going. It's- It's getting very late, and you'd need to be up for the trial... Thingy, or whatever tomorrow- Oh! Quickie question: What time is the trial tomorrow?]"

"[Um, about 9ish.]"

"...[Ish?]"

"[I'll have a look when I get outta here.]"

Riley hummed in compliance, but then came to a thought, and went, "[Wait, Amy.]"

"Hm?"

"[Have- Have you heard from Maya? Have you heard anything about h- It?]" he nervously chuckled, and said, "[I'd hate if anything... Happened to it.]"

Amy looked at him for a few seconds in silence, before saying, "[I don't know. I mean, Sanada Miyuki said yesterday that she was suppose to get a report on some memory wiping equipment that was used on Maya, which would show wherever it was broken or not]", Amy then looked down, as if realising that that wasn't a good answer, and said, "[I haven't seen her. I don't know where she is. Maybe the cops still have her. Maybe... Maybe Bando- Or Fujita or whoever- Has got her. I don't know.]"

"..."

"[It's not the best answer.]"

"...[Yeah.]"

"Mm. [Um, I'll be heading off now, so, see you tomorrow, I guess.]"

"[Yeah, yeah. Of course. Um, see ya.]"

They both hung up, and a prison guard walked up behind Riley, putting his hand on his shoulder, nonverbally telling him to follow him. Riley got up, leaving the cubicle, sparing a last glance to Amy, who herself was leaving as well.

As he was escorted out of the visitation room, and back to his cell, Riley hoped that the trial tomorrow would be a bit of a non-event, and something that most people wouldn't bother to show up too. Maybe that was a bit of a quixotic hope, but it seemed like the most logical thing that would happen.

* * *

 _Friday 7th October 2022  
_ _9ish in the morning..._

* * *

Turns out, that hope was a lot less quixotic than he thought.

Yay.

As he was led into the russet coloured courtroom by a guard, he saw that the pews were almost empty of people. Hardly a throng, to be honest, though that had been what he wished for. On one side, the left side, sparse amounts of attendees in business suits and tuxedos sat behind the prosecution's side. On the defendant's side- His side, being the right side- Also sat very few people, most of whom Riley had never met before. In fact, he'd never met most of the people in the room. Except for Amy, Sanada, and Kinoshita (That's not very surprising... Maybe. He wasn't really sure), whom were seated on the defendant's side of the room, and Higa Koharu, Yano Gin, and Teruya Zenzō on the prosecution's side of the room

As well as one other.

Bando sat in the first pew on the prosecution's side of the courtroom, smirking as he stared at Riley. Riley could feel his glare on him. He didn't want to give him a response and give him the satisfaction, but couldn't help himself and shoot a glare back. Bando's smirk widened significantly at this.

 _Damn it_ , Riley thought to himself, _You're just making it worse, Harrison._

He didn't- And frankly couldn't- stop glaring until he was at his seat, to which he sat down, and stared at nothing in particular. Where was Maya? Where was Amy? Where was this Sanada lady?

It took an awkward 4 minutes and 23 seconds (He timed it) before the jury would file into the room, and another 48 seconds 2 more people walked in. One was a tall woman in a business suit, who had purplish hair, and walked in a firm, brusque manner. Riley had never expected a lawyer- He assumed that she was a lawyer- To have purple hair, so that was something. Not that it was a world changer. It was just... Well, it was something. The other was a tall man, who seemed to walk in a manner of affectation. He had a wide breadth between his shoulders, and had what looked like a fake tan applied to him. It didn't look convincing at all, which was weird, considering how nowadays, tans were mostly made by Chimera Industries, and were made with biotech to look really passable for an actual tan. Maybe he was using an ersatz spray tan. If he were to be honest, there was something... Familiar, about him, but Riley didn't know what.

The woman walked up to his side of the room, and sat down next to him, going, "Hi. I'm Sanada Miyuki. I'm your representative", she said this with a smile.

"My lawyer", responded Riley, whom was glad to finally meet her.

"Oh, yes. Ms Harrison Amy told you about me, I assume?"

"Yeah."

"Mm", hummed Sanada, before saying, "Look, here's the game plan: Just let me do the talking. I've got enough evidence to shoot down enough claims against you, so just sit tight."

"What if they call me up?"

"Then just tell the truth", Sanada answered, "There's nothing more you can do."

Riley nodded, before quietly asking, "Shouldn't we have had this talk before we came into court?"

Sanada was quiet for a second, before going, "In hindsight, probably."

Before anyone else could say anything else, another person entered the room. Everyone looked, to see a man in an expensive business suit entering the room through the large doors between the pews. Riley immediately recognised the man from the presentation on Monday. The one wondering about smaller businesses. He must be that Fujita guy.

Hm, now that Riley had a good look at him, he seemed a lot... Slimier then he'd imagined. His skin was pale, yet somewhat shiny, and his face was wrinkled. There were wisps of white hair on his head, amidst his thick, greasy mop of slicked back black hair. He looked to be in his late 50s. His hands were rubbing together, and his face held a look of merriment, though it was easy to tell that underneath he was more vexed by the events before and coming of today than anything else. His back was arched, and he seemed quick with his walking. Judging from initial impressions, he seemed to be very eager to get this whole event out of the way and move on. As he past the pews, and walked past the little gate that separated the seats from the front section of the room, he shot Riley a look of annoyance. Riley gave back a little wave- He wasn't sure if it was to annoy the older man, or just an act of nervousness. Maybe both- But a quick grimace of irked disgust swept over him, before his previous expression shrouded his face once more. Bando gave him a wry grin as well, and Fujita looked at him. Riley couldn't see what his expression was, but from the slight taken aback look on Bando's face, it wasn't entirely pleasant.

As he sat down next to his lawyer- Fujita talked to him more as his valet than his lawyer. Quiet swearwords were used- A crate was wheeled into the side of the room. The same kind of crate that was at the presentation on Monday. Riley didn't need to guess as to what was inside.

A few more minutes past, and then, a man in a judge's outfit came out, weird wig and everything. The guard called out, "All rise for judge Amari", and all did indeed rise.

Once the judge got to his podium, he called out, "You may be seated", and all were indeed seated. The judge then looked to the jury, and said, "Alright then. If the jury could turn their attention to the prosecution and the defence, they will now read out their opening statements, on the case of the theft of the first android made by Chimera Industries. Now, as said before, the attorneys will say what they believe the evidence will show, and what they wish to say about the case. However, the opening statements are not evidence. The items that will be shown in this room and the jury room, as well as the witness statements, are evidence, which will be used to help you in your decision."

He then turned to the prosecution.

"The prosecution can now make their opening statement."

The lawyer for Fujita stood up, and said, "Thank you, your honour, judge Amari", he said in an unctuous tone. He then looked to the jury and began with, "On Monday, 3rd of October, just earlier this week, there was a presentation hosted by the CEO of Chimera Industries, Miss Kobashgawa Hiroe, about the newest product of this company, the android. A singular android, to be more exact. The same android", he pointed to the metal crate at the side of the room, "That I believe is safe to assume is in that crate there. Near the end of the presentation, that boy over there", he pointed to Riley, "Was picked out at random, to be the one to take that same android away for free. And, while I will admit, winning what is essentially a lottery is not in of itself illegal, that boy there, turned the android down. He turned it down. And my client here" he gestured to his client, "Fujita Masaie brought that android right then and there, fair and square. He brought it, for his girlfriend's son, and he took it back to his home. However, not long after he get's home, he hears a crash in his house, and he finds a window, smashed open, and that same android missing. The next day, he finds his girlfriend's son- Whom is that boy, Bando Fujio there-"

He pointed to Bando, whom supressed a smirk.

"-Back home, covered in blood, missing part of his tooth, with bruises on his neck, and accusations of bullying and assault against him. Now, look at this boy here", he gestured to Riley once more, "He too is covered in bruises, but less so than Mr Bando there. What is this evidence going to show? It's going to show that this boy here- Mr Harrison- Changed his mind. It's going to show that Riley stole the android, overwrote it's memory wipe, and assaulted Mr Bando the next day, another tally to his already impressive record at his school", he placed emphasis on the last 6 words as he looked at Riley, as if holding a vendetta against him, even though Riley had never met him before. The lawyer continued, "This boy here, like I just said, has a very impressive record at Fumizuki Academy. Sexual assault, physical assault on multiple occasions, larceny. The evidence is clear. This boy is a liar, a thief, a pervert, and a bully, and at the end of this, I do believe that you will make the right decision, and find this criminal guilty of the charges against him. Thank you."

As Fujita's lawyer moved back to his seat, all Riley could do was roll his eyes, and grimace at the statements against him. He looked back to Amy, whom was herself fuming. She looked like she wanted to murder everyone in the room. Kinoshita moved to put her hand on Amy's shoulder, but Yoshii beat her to it, placing his hand on her, calming her down a bit.

The judge then looked to Sanada, and said, "The defence may now make their opening statement."

"Of course", began Sanada, as she stood up, and moved to the centre of the room. She then spoke, "Your honour, the prosecution is talking absolute nonsense. My client", she gestured to Riley, "Clearly has more physical infirmities on him than Mr Bando over there. He has more bruises and cuts on him from just looking at him, that that boy over there would most likely have if we made a proper examination. The claims against Mr Bando are also supported by evidence, being the various witness accounts against him from the events of Tuesday this week."

Bando seemed to wince at the last sentence, but the judge stepped in, "This trial isn't about Mr Bando, Miss Sanada."

"Of course, your honour, but he does play a key role in it. Since the beginning of the school year, within Fumizuki Academy, Bando, and several other people relating in some way to him, have made, in total, 62 complaints against him. 62. Almost all of which have little evidence to support them. And yet, he is punished for each and every one of them. I mean, I read one of those reports. 'Sexual harassment', and yet there were 2 others who supported Mr Harrison, and he was still punished for it. He was punished for an offense in which has little evidence to support it, and seems to contradict itself. Is it just me, or is that somewhat foolish?"

The words seem to hit their mark. The jury made little to no sound, but from the look on their face, they were considering her words. Bando was wearing a grimace of annoyance, and Fujita was rolling his eyes.

"And the general excuse of the prosecution, on why he would want to steal something which he had adamantly turned down", Sanada continued, "Is blatantly ridiculous itself. 'He changed his mind'? It's a pretty flimsy excuse. If someone turns something down, they're not exactly immediately going to change their mind, and try to steal it, and even if he did change his mind- Which he has profusely rejected the idea of- Wouldn't the most logical solution be to try and haggle with the person whom now acquired the thing that they now decided they wanted, instead of going full criminale on them? And how would he have even been able to get into Fujita's estate home anyways. From what I've heard, it's got some pretty good security, meant to stop people from getting in. So, if his security is good enough to stop people from getting in, then how would a 17 year old boy been able to break in, take the android, and leave, just like that?"

Sanada then gestured to Bando and Fujita.

"Lady and gentlemen of the courtroom, this is not a trial by a group of heroes to put a criminal behind bars. This is an attempt by a chauvinistic group of individuals whom wish to put an innocent teenager behind bars for crimes not his own, based on a load of ridiculous claims. What do I believe that the evidence will show? I believe it will show that this boy", she then pointed out Riley, bruises and cuts on his face fading and healing over, but still visible, whom himself was perfectly still, and paying full attention, "Is rightfully innocent, of any, and all of these honestly moronic charges against him", she then curtsied, and finished her statement, "Thank you."

Sanada moved back to her seat, and sat back down, next to Riley.

"Thanks", whispered Riley, "I really do mean it."

"S'okay", whispered back Sanada, "I do this kinda stuff all the time. This case shouldn't take long."

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

"For us, good. For them, not so much."

The judge, not hearing them, then spoke, "We will now present the main item in this case."

One of the guards then moved to the crate in the side of the room, and pressed a sequence of buttons on it. The crate then quickly opened, without drama or flare, as well as no steam (All of that flashiness on Monday must've just been for show, apparently), to reveal Maya standing completely still inside, it's feet held down by metal straps, and it wore a new dress, being a crimson shade, with a thin skirt that went all the way down to it's feet, and the dress itself ending right above it's, ahem, 'assets', with straps that connected to the dress, and went over it's shoulders. It's skin looked like it's been freshly cleaned, looking blemish and dirt free, and it's hair was once again puffy and freshly cleaned (It had lost a bit of it's puff over the few days that he was burdened with it). Like on the Monday presentation, Maya's eyes were closed, it's head looking down to the ground, and it's hands were clamped in front of it's body.

Riley wouldn't admit that he was glad to see that Maya was okay, but the thought did cross his mind. A brief smile formed on his lips, but it disappeared almost immediately, _Keep the straight face, Harrison,_ he thought to himself, _You've kept it up so far, don't lose it now._

He mentally shrugged and allowed himself to give a small wave to the android, but stopped himself a second later remembering that the android was turned off, and that waving to a robot would be stupid. He wasn't too sure if that actually applied to Mateuz (The new robot student... Thing), but it probably did.

* * *

 **"Achoo!"**

"Mateuz?" Andre asked.

 **"I think someone might be thinking about me... I hope it's a girl. I hope she thinks I'm super smexy."**

"You and every girl you know are disgusting."

* * *

The judge then spoke up, "This is the android that was reported to be stolen", he indicated to Maya, "Now, per regulations, it will now be taken to the jury room for review later on", the judge then motioned to the same guard, who then began to force up the sides of the box to their original position, and then, with the help of another guard, wheeled the crate out of the room, and , Riley presumed, to the jury room, or whatever it's called.

 _It's nice to know that Maya's okay_ , thought Riley, who then wondered why he should care the condition of a robot. Or android. Or whatever. He chalked it down to it looking like a human, remembering when he first saw it on Monday, and how he'd thought it was uncanny.

As the sight of the crate left the room, the judge then spoke up again, "Now that the android in question has left the room, we shall now begin hearing witness statements."

* * *

 **Yano Gin's court statement**

"Yes sir, he had the stuffing beaten out of my friends", went Yano, as he sat on the witness booth next to the judge's podium, looking at Fujita's lawyer, seemingly supressing a smirk as he spoke, "Had one of his buddies smash my friend Bando Fujio's face against a table", he gestured to Bando as said boy sat in the pews with a sly smile on his face, showing off his still broken tooth and bruised face. Yano continued, "He had one of them trip up one of my friends, Teruya Zenzō. It broke his nose. The fall broke his nose", Teruya, who sat in the pews as well his nose bruised, and the mark of an old plaster covered the bruise as well, didn't hear Yano, twirling his fingers around each other.

"You are certain of this, Mr Yano?" asked Fujita's lawyer, placing emphasis on the word 'Mr'. He must've figured out that he was transgender post op, due to his still present feminine features, and felt uncomfortable about it.

Riley mused about the fact that though people continuously claimed that they were accepting of transgenders and the LGBT community as a whole, it was still a major hot button topic on social media and in general conversation as a whole. Some people, most notably the old guard (The newly emerging name for the older generations of society) were still uncomfortable about it all, some people openly or privately felt acrimony to the LGBT lot, sometimes nothing but. Some radicals and extremists (The very few that there were) On the left wing (Or was it the right wing? It was so hard to tell these days. Then again, Riley never cared enough to try and figure out which was which) seemed to hate anyone who did not comply or agree with their views, however radical they were, most people in that set just wanted everyone to get along, and truly did want to bring around true equality between the LGBT community and everyone else, and everyone else, Riley included, were indifferent to the entire topic. They wanted peace and equality and all that as much as the next guy, but they weren't about to jump into the topic discussions in full force. As long as people weren't hurting anyone and respecting everyone's life choices, they could do whatever they wanted.

Annoyingly, one of the most popular phrases in these topics was, 'It's 20 insert number here! Get with the times!'. Like, what does that mean? What does a year have to do with the ideologies and differentiating ideas about the LGBT community and acceptance of other peoples' sexuality? Explanation, Riley demanded one.

"Positive", replied Yano, rubbing his hands against his head as he spoke in a false panicked fashion, "He just looked at us, pointed, and sicked them on us. Like, can you believe that?" he held his hands to his face, acting like he was about to cry.

People in the room started giving him accusatory looks. Riley was generally unsure of how to respond. If he acted out in anger, he'd make himself look guilty. If he didn't say anything, he'd look like a callous arsehole.

Well, he was a callous arsehole, but still...

Riley kept himself neutral. He kept a straight face, but allowed himself the gesture of rolling his eyes. He was pretty sure that the gesture would've just gained him more ire in the eyes of, well, literally anyone and everyone in the courtroom, but if he were to be honest, he did not believe that anything that he could and would do would've abated the growing animosity towards him, anyway.

"Really?" the lawyer looked to Riley, a satisfied smile on his face. He took a few steps towards Riley and Sanada Miyuki's table, and then looked to the rest of the courtroom, gesticulating himself around as he spoke, "You see, my friends, our witness here has confirmed that several others will back up his proposal. His proposal of the truth. And, there are several pieces of evidence to back this up. The photos and a hospital report from Tuesday earlier this week help to back up his statement. This boy", he pointed to Riley. Riley himself could figure out where this was going, "Ordered a bunch of individuals to assault Mr Bando and his friends, without any care for repercussions. There is evidence to back this up-"

 _The very little that there is_ , thought Riley.

"-Which I am sure that you will see in the jury room later on. With it, I am certain that you will see the full truth of this boy's disgusting-"

"Oh, objection!" Riley looked to his side to see that Sanada Miyuki had gotten out of her seat, and was now standing up, leaning against the table in front of them, as she glared at Fujita's lawyer, and said in a much calmer voice, "The prosecution is grandstanding, and making baseless assumptions and accusations on which there has been little to bupkis evidence shown to support."

"Sustained", went Judge Amari, as he took looked to Fujita's lawyer, "This isn't your day, Mr Zaizen. Stick to the evidence that is shown, and not your voice."

'Zaizen', as Riley now knew him as, supressed a slight scowl as he calmed himself, while Sanada Miyuki lolled back into her seat, to which Riley whispered his thanks to her, and muttered, "I take it you don't like this Zaizen guy too much, then."

"Never met or heard of him before", replied Sanada Miyuki, "I'm guessing he's new to the lawyer scene", she paused for a second, before saying, "Judging from the fact that he looks like a cut out from a surfer movie from the 90s, I'm also guessing that this lickspittle looking guy thinks CSI or whatever is realistic enough to pass as actual law research."

Riley nodded along, stopping himself from giggling a little along the way.

* * *

 **Yoshii Akihisa's witness statement**

"Well, yeah, Harrison was the victim", Yoshii said as he looked to Sanada Miyuki from the witness podium, his voice clear and genuine as his words reverberated through the room. He continued on, "I mean, have you seen the guy?" he then looked to Riley, "No offense."

Riley lazily waved his hand. He'd learnt to not really care and have a bit of patience with people saying negative things about him, however today, that patience was beginning to wane.

Riley looked behind him, to see Amy silently looking to Yoshii, though the look on her face was more negative looking than the opposite. Riley looked away before she noticed. He didn't want her getting any wrong ideas.

"Would you care to expand on that, please, Mr Yoshii?" asked Sanada Miyuki. Bando looked like he was about to say something from the pews, but he acquiesced and eased up.

"Well, anyways", Yoshii looked back to Sanada Miyuki, "Back on Tuesday, I was near Class A with a... Um, with a friend", he seemed to strain the last word.

Riley remembered seeing him leaving Class A on Tuesday with Shimizu. if they're buddies now, when did that happen? Riley thought they hated each other. When did they become friends and start... Well, he didn't know what they were both doing now... When did they start doing anything together?

"Yeah", Yoshii said under his breath, before continuing, "Getting back to it, me and her went into Class A", Sanada Miyuki's eyebrow twitched at the grammar mistake, "Along with quite a big crowd, because we collectively- I'm assuming it was collectively- Heard a lot of commotion coming from Class A. Or were told about commotion coming from Class A. I don't know, it was a bit of a mixed bag. It probably was a mixed bag, I mean. I'm getting side tracked, sorry", he shook his head, looking like he was trying to regain his trail of thought.

"Take your time", said Sanada Miyuki, clasping her hands together in front of her. Zaizen and Fujita were whispering to each other, Zaizen saying something which looked to be somewhat reassuring, and Fujita nodding his head, but the slimy look on his face left not once. Riley was unnerved by that, to say the least. Perhaps he just wished to get to or to get back to whatever soiree he wished to be at.

"Alright then", Yoshii muttered, pausing for a few seconds, before going, "'K, then, me and the rest of the crowd", the fact that Sanada Miyuki's eyebrow twitched a second time at the repeat of the same grammar failure told Riley that she didn't really have good patience with incorrect grammar. Akihisa continued on obliviously, "Got to Class A, where I- I mean, we, obviously- Saw the white haired guy over yonder", he pointed to Bando in the pews, "Beating the fudge out of-"

Bando almost jumped out of his seat, the sudden movement making almost everyone in the room jump out of their own seats. It took him a moment to regain control of himself, before he eased up, and made himself comfortable again, though his eyes were locked in a constant glare at Yoshii.

"Is there something you'd like to say, Mr Bando?" the judge asked, himself seemingly uninterested and unmoved by the obvious anger of the albino boy.

Bando didn't say anything, but if one listened close enough, they might've been able to hear a growl coming from him. He really couldn't eat what he served to others, but he (Shockingly) Seemed to be smart enough to know when to not say something.

"Noted", the judge said in a deadpan voice, as he looked to Yoshii and calmly told him to continue.

If Akihisa noticed Bando glaring daggers at him, he didn't make it known in the slightest. He continued on, seemingly unencumbered by the albino as he spoke, "Well, getting back on track, again, we all then saw, as we looked into Class A, the albino guy- Bando- Over there beating up Harrison over there", he then indicated to Riley, his physical injuries suddenly becoming more apparent. Bando's glare intensified but Yoshii continued onwards, seemingly oblivious, "There were 2 guys holding back his sister, and Bando was yelling really loudly for some reason, and Harrison was covered in cuts and blood, and all that."

Yoshii gestured once more to the cuts on Riley's face. Riley instinctively rubbed them, feeling the little bumps and scabs on his cheeks.

"Hm", Yoshii hummed at the gesture, and then said, "They'll get better, Harrison."

Riley just nodded in response, _A week or 2_ , he thought to himself.

Yoshii then went back to talking, "Well, then some other guys, Kinoshita Yuuko's lot", Kinoshita nodded as she sat in the pews, knowing where this was going. A small smile betrayed her still demeanour, "And the new guys. The Prometheans, we've all started calling them", Yoshii then went on to say that he didn't know when they all collectively came up with the moniker for the group of 4, but he figured that they'd just all heard about their last names and just went with it, before getting back on track, "Well, the Prometheans themselves helped Riley out in the most epic way possible", Yoshii then began to gesticulate, putting emphasis on his words as he spoke, "Prometheus John just walked right past the guys surrounding Harrison, and just- BAM!" he lifted his open hand, and let it fall at speed, but stopped himself before he slammed the wooden surface before him, muttering his apologies, and that they got the point, before continuing, "He just- He just made Bando cease his bullsugarity, by hefting him up by the head, and slamming him against the table. Just slammed his face against the table. It was awesome. A bully getting his just desserts is awesome."

Riley couldn't agree more. He let himself have a second long smile, though Bando just increased his glaring levels. Amy seemed to stifle a quiet laugh.

"Well, then, 2 of Bando's guys- A guy and a girl, those 2", he then pointed to Teruya and Higa, who themselves tensed up, and silently glared at Yoshii as he continued to speak, "Those 2 tried to get to John, but then 2 other Prometheans, Mateuz without the S and Jack, tripped one of them up, and slammed the other one to the ground like a badass, and so that was cool, and then John wanted to snap Bando's neck, for being an as- A bully", Yoshii paused for a second, looking at Riley as if asking for his assent. Before Riley could question or give a response of any kind, Yoshii then continued, "Then, the, um, the android showed up, and walked in, all ominous like, for some reason. It looked like it, or she, or something, was gonna help Bando beat the snot outta Harrison, but then it/she didn't, and it/she like, stroked his cheek, or something. I don't know. It was all a bit weird, if you ask me."

 _Yeah, I can relate_ , though Riley to himself.

"Well, then Bando started screaming more, and it was starting to hurt my ears, and then the android picked him up by the neck", Yoshii grabbed his own neck and pretended to strangle himself for a few seconds before stopping when he saw that everybody was giving him the 'Please stop' deadpan look, "Sorry. I was just- Sorry. Got a bit carried away", he cleared his throat, before continuing, "Yeah, the android picked Bando up by the throat, but then Riley asked it/her to put him down, so it/she did. And then Yuuko, being a miss badass- Sorry for the language."

"Apology accepted", said Judge Amari. Kinoshita's smile was sustained at Yoshii's comment, a pleasant scintillation in her eyes, while said erstwhile Fumizuki Academy student's bitterness intensified at her reaction. If it was either jealousy or just sheer anger, nobody was sure. It was probably both.

"Well, then Yuuko, being the miss bad-buttocks that she was, told Bando to GTFO, permanently, I believe, and then he had a temper tantrum, and ran away. I think Ogawa said that he slipped and fell into a puddle, or something, so that was funny", he paused, before going, "Then me and my... Acquaintance, left Class A, and, well, I didn't really see either of them for the rest of the day", he then shrugged, "Sorry. That's all I know."

"Well, the exposition was a tad bit drawn out and unneeded", said Sanada Miyuki. Yoshii quailed slightly at this, but she then said, "But your input is greatly accepted", she then said to the judge, "The defence has no more questions."

The judge nodded, and as Sanada Miyuki returned to her seat, he then asked Zaizen, "Does the prosecution have any questions?"

"Yes sir, I do", said Zaizen, as he stood up, and walked over to Yoshii, looking right at him as he spoke, "Mr Yoshii, when was the first time you spoke to Harrison on Tuesday?"

"Oh, that was before we got to the academy in the morning", said Yoshii honestly, quickly fidgeting in his seat to make himself comfortable, "He- Well, Harrison Amy, I suppose- Told me to leave them be after I asked them to tell me about why they were yelling loudly the night before."

"Oh really?"

"Um, yeah", he seemed to be getting a bit uncomfortable around Zaizen.

"Well, I should tell you, that there are a few bit of information that I have acquired, that have me questioning the veracity of your statement", Zaizen proudly said.

"The what? What does ferocity have to do with a statement?"

"What? I said veracity."

"Yeah, ferocity", yeah, one could see where this was going.

"Veracity."

"Ferocity."

"Veracity!"

"Ferocity."

It was times like these where Riley wondered if Yoshii really was as stupid as he was said to be or if he was just obfuscating and was really good at it.

Zaizen rolled his eyes, admitting defeat, and continued on with his point, "Well then, what were they 'Yelling loudly' for then?"

"I don't know, that's kinda why I went to ask them."

Minor intentional or unintentional sass aside, Zaizen continued, though a small smirk had formed on his face, "Mr Yoshii, what class are you in, in Fumizuki Academy?"

Oh.

Riley could see where this was going.

"Oh, um, Class F", answered Yoshii honestly, "I, um, didn't really do very well in the placement test", he scratched the back of his head as an oblivious grin encompassed his face.

"Ah, yes, I know", Zaizen said, his voice becoming more boastful, "I did a bit of research into quite a few people in this case, but I'd like to clarify a few things for the court, if you wouldn't mind?"

"Oh, sure!" Yoshii enthusiastically said. Riley mentally sighed to himself, swearing that Yoshii was more recalcitrant then that. He'd heard that despite everyone at the academy's varying levels of acrimony towards the guy, they had at least a sliver of respect towards that supposed aspect of them (The rumour that he'd once beaten the Iron Man himself in a fight did little to hurt this, sans the teachers). Maybe that was why the girls waived beating and killing him after the peeping incident at the training camp.

Zaizen broke Riley out of his thoughts with the following question, "Mr Yoshii", Riley heard Yoshii mutter something about getting flustered, "What was the score on your placement test? You know, the one that got you into Class F?"

"Oh, um, I can't really remember", Yoshii scratched his forehead, before snapping his fingers together and going, "Oh yeah! It was between 10 and 15!" Riley started internally begging him to not reply so earnestly.

"Ah, as that so?" Zaizen's smirk widened.

"Um, yeah", said Yoshii, "You know, it's weird. I swear that I'd nailed that test. I mean, one of the questions was 'Who was the first African American on TV?'", Zaizen's smirk began mixed with a dash of confusion, not really sure where he was going with this, "And I swear that the answer was Darth Vader!"

…

…

 _…Wow, that is only, slightly, racist_ , thought Riley, as he heard the collective population of the planet commit suicide via facepalm while he looked around the room to gauge everyone's reactions. Amy was really surprised, Kinoshita and both Sanadas were shaking their heads in their palms, the judge raised an eyebrow, hell, even Bando and his guys and gal looked perplexed.

Sometimes, Riley wondered wherever Yoshii really was as stupid as people said, or if he was just really good at obfuscating.

This was not one of those times.

Zaizen, himself flummoxed by that bold statement, trudged on, "Um, so, Mr Yoshii, moving that previous statement aside, um, what is your role, or title, in Class F?"

"Oh, um, I'm the class ambassador", Yoshii said, almost proudly, before quietly muttering, "Also, I'm the, um, the Punishment-"

"The Punishment Inspector", interrupted Zaizen, the smile on his face returning, "A title that Fumizuki Academy uses to condemn the most idiotic of the herd. To punish the black sheep for their foolishness and inability to learn, and rightly so."

Riley couldn't help but sigh out loud, but no one noticed it, or at least cared enough to make it known. Riley knew that the class system that Fumizuki Academy used had seeped its way into multiple crevices of the megacity that was Fumizuki City, but he hadn't ever really seen it first hand outside of the academy. One had to wonder why the Japanese government hadn't done anything yet. The riots of 2020 should've been enough indication to step in (He hadn't been around during those days. Amy and him had moved into the megacity near the end of the year).

Zaizen looked to the judge, and went, "You honour, the statement of the witness cannot be trusted, on the matter of his intelligence, or the lack thereof", ouch, low blow, "Not only that, but the witness in question has also been reported to be a serious troublemaker at Fumizuki Academy, with reports ranging from disturbing the peace, open voyeurism, peeping, assaulting teachers, releasing unused tests for the purpose of cheating, blatant disregard for rules and regulations, destruction of school property, and not only that, but several charges, almost all of which were filed at the same time, and almost all were girls, were placed against him after an incident in a supposed training camp of sorts, though they were dropped shortly after", he paused, before going, "Also, he's probably a racist."

"Hey, I'm not racist!" Yoshii almost yelled, "I'll have you know that a couple days ago I wacked off to Jennifer Hudson and oh god I see your point I'll stop now."

"Objection!" Sanada Miyuki proclaimed, "The prosecution is judging the witness based on their intelligence and incidences past of", Riley knew that her objection was flimsy. Any proper court wouldn't let that kind of record against someone partaking in a court case slide. Something told him that Sanada Miyuki knew this too.

The judge looked at her for a few seconds, before going, "Noted."

* * *

 **Kinoshita Yuuko's witness statement**

Kinoshita shuffled in her seat, seemingly unsure of what to say. She looked to Riley, and then to Zaizen, who then broke the silence in the room, "You are the school idol, are you-"

"Not? No", Kinoshita grinded her teeth together as she spoke, "That... Position... Belongs to my dear brother", she placed much emphasis on 'Position', and 'Brother'. Riley was surprised that he wasn't seeing sparks being given off from her canine teeth grinding together, or an aura that could kill a mammoth, though he did see the usual faint glow from her super-heart as she mentioned her much more widely popular sis- Wait, 'Brother'?

Oh.

Wait a mo.

 _Ah_ , Riley thought to himself, _I see_.

Kinoshita Hideyoshi was a tranny. Now it all made sense.

Riley felt quite proud of himself for coming to that conclusion, unaware that elsewhere, Kinoshita Hideyoshi suddenly started dramatically weeping for some reason.

Riley couldn't help but released a piqued sigh at Kinoshita's expense, though he wasn't sure which one. She seemed to see this, and looked somewhat more irked than she was before. It was no secret that Kinoshita Yuuko was extremely resentful of her sibling (Gender fluid term, aye!) For his/her/their (Pronouns are hard) Accomplishments and popularity, when compared to her. Though Riley wasn't entirely sure why. He means, her lack of popularity couldn't be due to her toxic and unapproachable personality and complete dedication to the class system of Fumizuki! Honest!

 _Then again_ , Riley thought as he switched off his sarcasm mode, _She has a voice to rival her brother/sister/sibling/whatever-pronouns-you-want. I remember seeing her during that singing show thingy that was held a few months ago, and she sung pretty good, so surely that should be enough to make her popular._

If only he knew.

"Well, you're not the school idol then, but are or are you the class ambassador for Year 2's Class A of Fumizuki Academy?" Zaizen asked, getting back on subject.

Kinoshita seemed a little hurt by the way he said his question, but she replied honestly, "Yeah- I mean, yes. Yes, I am."

"So you are, in reviewing the command structure of Fumizuki Academy's classes during a ESB war, the second in command for Class A?"

"Well, yeah, traditionally, but our rep, Kirishima Shouko usually runs off to do her own thing", Kinoshita's face shifted to a look of slight annoyance at that fact, which Riley could somewhat understand, seeing as how Kirishima would always run off to Class F after Sakamoto (He still had no idea how she was somehow able to just magically disappear in an instant to Class A. Riley had crossed out 'Her just leaving the room when he wasn't looking' From the fact that he would be looking at her one second, and in the blick of an eye, she would be gone. Maybe she's mastered the body flicker technique). Kinoshita continued onwards, "So, I'm usually the one who looks after Class A in her absence."

Riley wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that last one. All he knew was that if that was her job, she was a terrible employee.

"So, in that case, you have observed Mr Harrison's actions before? Because if he is in Class A, and you are the unofficial caretaker of the class, then you must have looked over him before? And his sibling, of course."

"Well, yes, of course", Kinoshita spoke. She seemed confident with her words.

"And, have you noted any abnormal or criminal activities from either of the siblings?" Zaizen asked.

 _Here we go_ , thought Riley as he sighed at what was coming, though as he thought them, like before, the words held no meaning, _She's gonna rattle me out. Of course she would. She'll probably be like Yano and exaggerate and make stuff up just to make me look-_

"No, nothing."

 _What?_ , Riley thought incredulously.

Kinoshita looked at Riley, and then to Zaizen, and said, "Apart from being an antisocial butt, with a hardly variegated attitude towards everyone around him, and an annoying habit for monosyllabic and/or sarcastic retorts, Harrison Riley has been a good student and peer, and I have seen no evidence to support any claims of criminal charges against him, or his sister. In fact, his only crime is not standing up to jerks like Bando-", She gestured to him, to his (Unsurprising) Surprise, "-And smacking them in the face for all of the strife and woe that they've given him since the beginning of the school year."

Riley felt... He didn't know how to feel. Anger? Gratitude? Thankful? He didn't know how he was suppose to feel, and he apologised for not knowing.

Kinoshita Yuuko, the girl he hated- The girl he despised\- With a burning passion... Defended him...

…

Riley didn't know how he was suppose to feel. Actually, that was sort of a lie. He knew how he felt: Conflicted. Very. On the one hand, Kinoshita had defended him, possibly risking her own place in Fumizuki and her reputation for him. He knew he should feel grateful, but he was still unsure about it. On the one hand, he might've been wrong about her, and she might actually have a shred of good will in her body. On the other hand though, she might be lying and defending him to cover herself up for all of her terrible flaws, and make herself seem like a better person just to spite him. Yeah, that might be it. Then again, like said before, he didn't really know how to feel about Kinoshita. He was sure that he hated her, though, and even that was uncertain.

The disarming, yet somehow gentle smile that replaced the previous glare that Kinoshita had given him, which he saw her reserve for only those that she called 'Friend' immediately made him feel like a bigger dick than he already was, certainly not helping with his growing feelings of conflicted ambivalence towards her.

Zaizen looked somewhat piqued by her answer, but recomposed himself. The smile that he wore next was not the good kind of disarming, "Really?" he asked Kinoshita, "Because I have a few reports here of complaints to the principal of Fumizuki Academy, all of which concern Mr Harrison himself."

"Falsified or highly exaggerated", Kinoshita said with much confidence in her voice, sounding rather prideful with her claims, "I'm sure that those reports of complaints are all as colourful as can be-", ah, she was learning the ancient arts of the Snarky Boi. Riley couldn't have been more proud, "-But Harrison and his sister have inflicted no harmful action unto others, save for crude language and variegated retorts, and have been on the receiving end of harmful actions from Bando and his lot since, I say this again for added emphasis, the beginning of the school year. I've had the curtesy of having a look over those complaints, and I can say that all of them are exaggerated to the nth degree. In fact, most of them are false anyways, so-"

"'Most of them'?" Zaizen asked.

Riley could practically see the hairs on the back of Kinoshita's neck bristle, judging from her reaction, which was a slightly shameful surprise and consternation at the realisation of her words, which she kept hidden a split second later under her still poker face. She was a shrewd and clever young woman, to be sure. You don't get in to Class A, nevertheless the top 10 of the school without being extremely intelligent, and with a helpful dose of cunning on the side. But as long as Riley had known her, she'd always had a problem with her pride taking over, and impairing her judgement, which had become evident here as well as many times before, "Well, I mean-"

"What do you happen to mean by 'Most of them'?"

"Um", Kinoshita's poker face looked like it slipped a little, and she looked to Riley, and then to Zaizen, her confidence seemingly wavering a little, "Well, I mean, there were a few instances, but-"

"You said that you saw no instances of criminal behaviour against Mr Harrison. So were you lying?"

"No, no I wasn't, I was just-"

"Which behaviour reports are true then?"

"Wha-"

"The reports of bullying?"

"No!"

"The reports of sexual harassment?"

"NO!"

"The reports of theft?"

"Well, no, I mean-"

"You're stuttering."

"Um", was all that she could say. It seemed that her confidence and conviction was waning a bit. And by a bit, Riley meant a lot.

"So he is a thief", Zaizen quietly chuckled to himself, his press for information having worked, and then looked to Riley, a sly little grin on his face. He looked at Riley like he'd scorned him long ago. Riley had no idea why he'd gained such ire against him when he'd never heard of the guy. Maybe he just didn't like kids. He then looked at the judge, and said, "Your honour, this witness is a liar, and cannot be trusted. I recommend that she be removed from the courtroom."

Riley looked to Sanada Miyuki, looking for her to object to Zaizen, but she, understanding his look, just whispered, "I'm afraid he's right. If a witness is proven to be lying, then they are to be removed from the courtroom, and taken to a cell", she just gave him a short shrug, "That's the law, I'm afraid."

Riley didn't say anything. He just gave a solemn, yet understanding nod, and looked back to the scene in front of him. The judge gave his consent to the recommendation, and Kinoshita was removed from the witness podium by a guard, and was escorted out of the room. Before she was removed from the courtroom, she looked to Riley, and gave him an apologetic look.

The look on Riley's face told her that he appreciated the gesture.

* * *

 **Harrison Amy's witness statement**

"My brother's innocent", Amy said defiantly and unapologetically, her arms folded as she sat in the witness podium, glaring daggers at Zaizen whilst he sat down next to Fujita. Sanada Miyuki stood in front of the witness podium, holding a few papers in front of her, and allowing Amy to say her piece. Riley figured it was a way of venting, as Amy seemed to be addressing the entire courtroom as opposed to Sanada Miyuki herself, "And I don't care what anyone says. He's not a thief, he's not a bully nor a sex offender, and he's definitely not a home invader, if that's what's being implied with all of this hoopla."

"And to that, I have no doubt", Sanada Miyuki added, her face remained neutral, though there was the slight hint of annoyance on her face. Probably because of Amy's current mood and attitude.

"Obviously", Amy muttered, though Riley was surprised that only he heard it.

"However, in order to verify that innocence, the court would, and will, need to hear your statement. From you, and not from a piece of paper", Sanada Miyuki calmly said, ignoring the obvious look of intense ire on Amy's face. If looks could kill, then Amy would've been charged with mass murder at this point.

"Does it even matter if you hear my statement?" Amy retorted in an exasperated manner, muttering, "Again", to herself before saying, "I'm sure we've all seen the TV on Monday. It was some big event, or whatever, so I'd be disappointed if you didn't. If you did, then you saw my brother say that he didn't want the android. He didn't want Maya. He turned that Kobashi-whatever lady down, and left. There. Boom. Done and done. Case closed", the judge and the jury gave her annoyed looks, also most likely directed to her attitude, to which she said, "He was quite adamant about it."

"Well, yes, of course, I do not doubt that we all saw the events of Monday, either as it happened or not, but all that we can confirm after that was that you and Mr Harrison met up at the local hospice in the downtown boulevards- Natsu Hospital- And left shortly after, but after that till when you got to Fumizuki Academy the next day is unknown. So, could you please explain to the court what happened last night? And in full detail, please. The more, the better."

Amy complied, going, "Fine. I mean, okay then. Well, after we left Natsu Hospital, we had to trudge through all of the rain that was coming down- Absolute nightmare, it was- Before getting home, where we ended up just flinging our clothes onto the floor, and into the washing machine. After putting on some more comfortable clothing, I asked him if he wanted any dinner, but he was really tired, and ambled off to bed. But not long after- I still have no idea how- A reporter and cameraman found out where we lived, and came a knocking, so me and Riley-"

"Riley and me", Sanada Miyuki muttered, but it was quiet enough that nobody else heard.

"-Ended up hiding in his room for like an hour, waiting for them to leave. After that, we went to bed, and then I went to my room and went to bed, but about 2 or 3 in the morning, I was woken up by my brother screaming, so I went into his room to see why he was screaming, and then it turned out that Maya had broken in, and was besides his bed, and then I started screaming, and then we were both screaming. This went on for a minute or 2. But then we stopped screaming, partly because it was killing my throat, and also because we'd woken up Yoshii next door. After that, we just decided to leave it till the morning, and then when we got up, we sorted ourselves out, left Maya at the flat, and left for the academy, where we planned to find out who Maya actually belonged to, and give her back to her actual owners", Amy relaxed herself a bit, sitting back in her chair, "There. Boom. Done."

"And, on Tuesday morning, how did the android find you at the academy?" Sanada Miyuki asked.

"Oh, well, apparently she picked the lock using a hairpin and a fork, or whatever the last one was, and followed us to the academy using something called ARCHON. Luckily, when we got back home later that day, she'd had the common curtesy of locking the door again as she left, and we didn't find any smashed windows as well. So that was good."

Riley had been especially thankful for that fact as well, seeing as how if a window or something in the apartment that didn't directly belong to the Harrisons was smashed or broken, their lease with the landlord would've been broken, and they would've been kicked out after 70 days, or something. And they didn't exactly have any money to spend on finding a different place to live, besides the homeless shelter, though that might've been an improvement.

"And when were you planning on returning the android?"

"As soon as possible. We were hoping that we could get it all sorted with on the Tuesday, and not have to meander through any legal jargon", Amy placed a sort of sarcastic emphasis on the last 3 words, as if to highlight the irony of it all. Riley would be lying if he said that it wasn't effective.

"And, if that self imposed deadline was not met?"

"Then maybe Wednesday. To be truthful, we didn't really have a specific deadline, as much as 'Get this done as soon as possible and be done with it', but I feel that that part's not too important."

As Amy said those words, Riley found himself remembering the events of Monday night, when Amy had found Maya in his room. She was practically foaming from the mouth with bile. He could tell that she wanted it gone immediately. Then again, in the morning, she'd teased (He assumed it was teasing, at least) Him about the android being around, so maybe she did want it around. He didn't know. People were so contradictory some times.

"Mm", Sanada Miyuki hummed, before looking to the judge, and going, "The defence has no further questions", before moving back to her seat next to Riley, and placing the papers that she held on the desk in front of her.

"Dope", Amy muttered. Riley was sure he could here a collection of groans from the courtroom.

The judge then looked to Zaizen and Fujita's side, and asked, "Does the prosecution have any questions?"

 _Ugh_ , Riley silently thought to himself, not feeling particularly sanguine about the following Q&A. Judging from the look on Sanada Miyuki's face, she had the same thought as well.

Zaizen got off of his seat, and approached the witness podium, the sounds of his footsteps permeating through the courtroom, before stopping himself, looking at Amy, and saying, "Miss Harrison, was there anyone around to witness these events, as you have described so well?" there was the sound of mocking sarcasm in the last few words, much different than Amy's own brand of sarcastic wit.

"Well, there was Yoshii, but he only heard us through the... Ah", Amy saw where Zaizen was going, not looking particularly sanguine herself.

"Ah, yes", Zaizen smiled, like the pompous twit that he was. At least, that's what Riley thought of him, "You see", he paused for dramatic effect, "So, where there any others whom saw you and your sibling in the period of time between leaving Natsu Hospital and arriving at the Academy the next day.

"Um, well, no, but there were some people that saw us in the morning as we were walking to the academy", Amy hesitated, "Er, but we, kinda disguised ourselves and made sure that we weren't see by anyone because we, um, didn't want to be seen by anyone because of the events... Of... Monday", she solemnly drew out the last syllables, unsure of what to say next, aware that she was just digging their own graves.

"Ah, there you go", Zaizen looked to Amy as if she were a benighted fool, "See, as you have said yourself, no one, save for a fool's fool, saw or heard of you from Natsu Hospital to the academy, so, seeing as you are the only one to actually give a statement as to what happened during that time period, I'm not terribly inclined to believe you."

"There are CCTV cameras!" the hardly unflappable Amy almost shouted, though she quickly composed herself, "There's an entire flippin' network up and running through the city! Hell, the guys at Fumizuki A&E have got their dying, sessile patients hooked up to the city's CCTV network, as a jab at them, or something! I don't know, people are jerks, but that's not the point!"

"How quaint", Zaizen said, his posture insouciant, "But, you seem to forget, or not known as all", he muttered about the last one not being too surprising, "That in this day and age of technology, AIs, and computers, it can be rather easy to compromise all of those."

Amy's face was one of bewilderment, "You think Riley- My brother- Hacked the CCTV network, or something."

Zaizen casually shrugged, "Well, I never said your brother."

"He draws all day", Amy protested, with Riley's unseen, and unheard, consent, "And reads. And also gives tours and wry sarcastic comments, but the 3rd is an rarity, and the 1st and 2nd are the more common. As well as the 4th."

"Your point?"

"I was getting there", she muttered, "My point is that you can ask anyone in Class A- Save for Bandos lot. obviously- And they'll tell you the same thing: All that Riley does is draw, say cynical and sarcastic stuff, and read. And daydream. That too. I've seen him try to use a computer before. He barely knows how to use Photoshop, much less how to hack a city wide network."

 _True, true_ , Riley thought to himself, nodding along as well.

Zaizen looked like he wasn't buying it, though, "Well, seeing as how the last 2 witnesses were either an unreliable fool, or a liar, I'm sure all of the other 'Witnesses' That you call up are trustworthy as well", the sarcasm was heavy in his voice as he spoke.

"You think that everyone that we mention is a liar?"

"Was I not clear?"

"You can't just think that everyone we know-"

"Is a liar? I see no reason to contradict that thought."

"Oh, you are just something else, you know", Amy muttered.

Unfortunately, Zaizen heard her, "And you are a liar, and your brother a thief, so it's nice to see that it flows through the family."

Amy almost slammed her hands against the podium, "Who the hell gives you the right to talk about me and my brother like that?" she raised her voice to match her anger.

"The powers invested in me by the law, evidently. Seeing as how your sibling is also a criminal, that seems like a bit of a justifiable reason as well."

"Hey, jerkface, ever heard of 'Innocent until proven guilty'?" her anger was seriously sparking now, as if it hadn't before. Amy always had a short temper for these kinds of things, though she never carried out the threats that she made.

"Ever heard of honest statements?" Zaizen smirked, before going, "Your brother is festooned with lies and thievery, and you, as it appears, have very little difference."

"Oh how dare you!" her voice raised once more, though her confidence against him seemed to be withering, "How dare you insult me and my brother, and without cause to boot!"

"And how dare you come into this room and expect your thieving little ways to be treated without consequence", the calmness in Zaizen's voice was becoming more and more creepy, "You are, like your brother, a little thief and liar, and I'm going to make sure that you are disgorged of all of your lies, and thrown into the dank little cell that you so thoroughly-"

"OK THAT IS ENOUGH!" Riley was surprised to find that he was the one who yelled that piece of bedlam, as he slammed his hands into the desk in front of him, and stood right up, everyone else, save the judge, looked nonplussed by his actions. Finding that his actions weren't as herculean as he thought he was, Riley spoke again, "I don't know who the hell you are-"

"I'm a lawyer-"

"Shut. Up. I don't care about that, and I especially don't care if you insult me with as many colourful phrases as you want, but none of that gives you any right to bully my sister all willy nilly, and act like you know better than us!"

Zaizen looked to the judge, not appreciating a taste of his own medicine, but the judge said nothing, a look of curiosity on his face. His court session had already become a shouting and insulting match, mostly on Zaizen's part. Might as well let Riley have his say.

If Riley noticed any of that, he didn't pay it attention. But he did pay Zaizen attention when he said, "I think you should watch your tone, Mr Harrison-"

"Oh, you mean like you been doing? Yeah, great job there, buddy."

"Watch your tone", Zaizen repeated, "Or-"

"Or what?" Riley asked, "What are you going to do? Make our lives suck? Even more than they already do?"

"If it wasn't for the law, you wouldn't have the life that you do", Zaizen said that with confidence in his voice.

That confidence was shattered when Riley practically spat in his face with, "Oh, great job. Such a great job ya'll are doing. Such a great life living in poverty, in a crumbling homogeneity of a city where gangs and the Shi No Tenshi cartel own 2/3rds of the cops, and the main place of education is a factionalised mini dystopia filled with psychos and bullies", he then glared at Zaizen, looking at him as he said, "I don't know if you've ever been to the boulevards downtown, but let me tell you something: If you did, I think you'd prefer the damned shelters! Me and Amy, we can barely feed ourselves. We're one check to our landlord away from living on the streets", he then pointed to his face, making note of the scars and bruises on his face, "I can't get a job because of these. No one wants an employee with the face of a murderer, and believe me, I've tried. I've sent about a dozen job applications to a bunch of different places since the beginning of the year. Guess what? All of them came back saying, to the point, 'NO'. All of the money that Amy gets from her job- Which isn't that good of a pay, by the way. It's extremely scant- Goes to paying both Fumizuki Academy for our continued application, and also our landlord, so that we become mendicants on the streets, so almost all of the time, we can't splurge and get anything nice. Oh, and by the way: Fumizuki Academy is a total joke. Everyone who goes there is forced into a social structure that places everyone who's smart at the top of the food chain, and everyone who's not at the bottom of it, where they live in a dank little whole where they're treated as trash and useless, which I'm pretty sure is a breach of human rights, so that food chain thing is a total mess and joke-"

"A food chain that you sit at the top of", Zaizen pointed out, seemingly intent on letting the topic go hither and thither until he got what he wanted, "You and your sister."

"Oh, please, it's not fun. Everyone hates us in Class A", Riley continued on, seeing all of this as a good way to finally vent all of his frustrations, "Everyone looks at us with spite in their eyes, and they see us all as paltry and arrogant know-it-all bastards, and honestly, they're not wrong. Class A is in a social divide of it's own, and everyone hates each other, and each side of that divide is filled with petty assholes who think that just because they're intelligent, that makes them better than anyone else. Oh, and by the way, I'm regularly getting the shite kicked out of me by him", he then pointed to Bando in the pews, "And his asshole friends for no reason in particular, other than they can, hence the difficulty in getting a job, which all circles around to me having to steal stuff from Class A just so Amy and I can go without starving, because we barely have enough money to buy food for ourselves! We can't exactly move out to any place better, we've never had enough money to do so, and we can't move to another school because Fumizuki Academy is pretty much the only education institution left in the city, and in both cases, where the hell would we go? And I'm suppose to thank the broken law and order of this city for this shit excuse of a living? No, I don't owe you, or this city, a goddamn thing!"

"So you do admit to stealing from the school?"

"WHAT THE HELL WOULD YOU HAVE ME DO!"

"Enough!" the judge said, banging his gavel for order in the courtroom, "Sit down, Mr Harrison."

Riley slumped into his chair, a feel of lassitude coming over him, but feeling as intrepid as before as he sat taut in his chair, "I didn't steal the android. 1, I wouldn't be able to, because I'm sure that there would be a ton of security around it, and 2, what would be the point? I couldn't afford to keep an android anyways. Amy and I can barely afford to stay in our apartment, no less a bio-mechanic that knows how to maintain a bio-bot, or whatever the scientific technical term is."

"You could always steal it", Zaizen smugly said, sauntering away from Riley and Sanada Miyuki's desk. Riley could see that Bando's smug smile was slowly returning to him, and Fujita was almost leaning on his desk, still looking bored and disinterested with the events of the court, though there was still a hint of being nonplussed on him, "Just like you steal everything-"

"Sit down Zaizen", the judge said- No, ordered, his face and voice mixed with his usual professionalism and annoyance at the overall lack of nuance in the courtroom. Zaizen looked at him, nonplussed, and went to say something, but the judge cut him off, "Sit down, or you'll face contempt in court. You're already teetering on that edge already with that vainglorious, disrespectful attitude of yours."

Zaizen didn't say anything. He just looked back at Riley, a look of annoyance on his face, but comingled with reassurance of himself as well. He walked back to his desk, his usual, hardly deferential saunter despoiled and replaced with an almost quicker march, with held a level of reassurance as well.

The judge looked like he was starting to get exhausted by all of this unprofessional courtroom drama, and overall lack of tact from everyone involved, and with a sigh, he asked, "Do the prosecution or defence have any more witnesses?"

Sanada Miyuki then stood up from her seat, "Yes, your honour. Just one more."

The judge sighed once more. This day was already going on for too long, "Then bring them in."

* * *

 **Kamiyama Eito's witness statement**

 _You flipping idiot_ , Riley thought, slumped in his chair, his legs splayed, as he saw Sanada Miyuki talking to one of the construction worker's- Kamiyama Eito, his name was, apparently- That had seen him on Monday, answering her questions honestly, which annoyed him to the fullest degree, _I don't want this guy- I don't want anyone- To lose their job because of me. It's honestly not worth it_ , he then noted the hypocrisy in his voice, seeing as how he was perfectly willing to let his fellow peers take the fall and stand up for him.

But then again, one of them was a genuine idiot- Which he tried not to say in an offensive way- Who'd destroyed school property before and almost- Genuinely!\- Got people killed with that bell stunt of his during the second Class A vs F ESB War (Which everyone in Class A had a bit of a helping hand in, he would admit), and another was an arrogant, yet also deferential woman with a whole lot of disrespect for lower classes, and yet also cared about her classmates and yet also didn't and was filled with taut pride and yet was also stalwart and Riley was very confused brain stop thinking please.

"Yeah, the kid ran into me and my boy's construction zone", Kamiyama said, the way he talked wouldn't sound to dissimilar within a 1930s film in Boston, if it wasn't for the Japanese language and accent, "Almost ran into our Road Paver Drone as well."

"And what happened after that, Mr Kamiyama?" asked Sanada Miyuki, reassured confidence in her voice. She now seemed confident in her newly acquired drive to push Zaizen into ignominy. Riley couldn't- And didn't- Blame her.

"Well, then that guy over there", like the others before him, he gestured to Bando, with many others in the room nodding, having already noticed the pattern, "And his 3 buddies came up, and slammed his head against our Road Paver's leg", he looked to the room and clarified that the Road Paver Drones were old recycled Spider Tanks, with people nodding in understanding, "And then they pushed him to the ground, and-"

"Objection!" surprisingly, yelled Zaizen in a strangely panicked sort of way, looking like he was about to start on a staccato haranguing.

"Denied", the judge replied calmly, yet irefully, wishing for this statement to go unabated. He then looked to Kamiyama, "Continue."

 _Please don't_ , Riley thought to himself.

"Yeah, well then, where was I? Oh yeah, the albino guy and his 3 friends slammed the kid there into the Road Paver's leg, and shoved him into the ground, smacking his eye in the process", Sanada Miyuki looked to Riley, seeing his bruised eye for confirmation, "And 2 of his friends held him down, and they were about to beat the snogging out of him, but then me and my boys showed up, and they scattered and ran off."

"And what did Mr Harrison do afterwards?"

"Welp, he said thanks, told me how he'd been chased by them from his school to the site, and had tried to lose them in the trees, I gave him a pack of tissues, and told him to vamoose before my supervisor saw him", he let out a bit of a guffaw, which I would realise was at my expense a moment later, "Lemme tell you, that made for a heck of a story at the bar that night. If I'd known that the kid I'd helped had been given a gift horse in the form of a not-quite-robot robot, I'da asked to have it myself."

He looked at Riley, and gave a light hearted chuckle. Riley just responded with a nervous chuckle, though there was no humour in the gesture.

Sanada Miyuki nodded, and then looked to the judge, saying, "The defence has no further questions", with a smug grin of her own on her face, before moving back down to her seat.

"Does the prosecution have any questions?" asked the judge.

"No, your honour", Zaizen said through gritted teeth, looking equally as frustrated. Perhaps Zaizen was unaware that Kamiyama was in the case. Perhaps he was unaware that Kamiyama existed at all. Either way, it didn't really matter any more.

"Very well then", said the judge, banging his gavel against his desk, showing that the witness could leave the room now.

As Kamiyama left, Riley felt a feeling of trepidation go over him, which Sanada Miyuki noticed, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing", I said, _Just worried about Kamiyama's future career choices_.

* * *

 **Verdict**

There was little fanfare as Riley was brought back into the courtroom, seeing that everyone else had gathered, save for the jury and the judge. It had been, what? 2 hours since everyone was sent out, jury included, so that they could make their decision? Seemed like it, though Riley hadn't been counting.

As he was sat down next to Sanada Miyuki, as before, he could see that the only other person missing was Kinoshita, though there was little reason to wonder why. He could see that Amy had a sense of hope in her eyes, as did Sanada Miyuki, while Sanada Yuka looked on from the pews, a wee bit disinterested. Riley was confused as to why she was here, seeing as she'd played no actual part in the court case. Perhaps her mother (Or Aunt, or whatever), Wished to show her how an actual court case worked. Considering the level of courtroom drama that took place today, that probably wasn't the best move.

The room was silent, save for a few words between Sanada Miyuki and Riley. He could see that Bando and Zaizen, the boors that they were, both had hopeful glints in their eyes as well, though Riley knew that that hope was more against him than for, knowing that they hoped that Zaizen's wringing had worked it's supposed wonders. Fujita, meanwhile, looked as bored as ever, inspecting his fingernails as time went by.

The judge came into the room a few minutes later, repeating the rise and fall gesture with minute difference, the jury came not a minute later. At this point, everyone in the courtroom was somewhat frazzled by the events of the day, and wished to be done with this business as soon as possible. There was little room for preamble and postulating.

The judge then spoke the question on everyone's mind, "Has the jury reached a decision?"

One member of the jury- A man with short bluish hair, and a look on his face that said that he didn't wish to be here, like everyone else in the room- Stood up, with a piece of paper in hand, and spoke, "We have, your honour."

Moment of truth...

"We find the defendant..."

 _Please please please please…_

"Innocent of all charges, due to the confirmed malfunction of the android's memory wipe equipment, and the falsified reports against him-"

Riley couldn't hold back the smile on his face, and let out a sigh of elated relief.

"Save for stealing from Fumizuki Academy Year 2, Class A, and for contempt in court as well."

…

Riley's face went blank. He had no idea how to respond to that.

He looked to Sanada Miyuki, who was shaking her head disapprovingly, whilst Amy looked like she was about to explode and go on a tirade of her own. Bando looked like he was about to explode with joy, and Zaizen held a look of disappointment on his face at the lack of higher, more serious charges.

"Very well", said the judge, who then looked to Riley, "Your sentence will be a week within Juvenile Hall, where you will be released next Sunday", he then banged his gavel, indicating the end of the court session.

Riley slumped back in his chair, somewhat defeated, but also somewhat happy as well. There were worse sentences to have, and he should be thankful that he got off so lightly, and he was proved to not be a bully or a sex offender, or anything like that.

He turned to Sanada Miyuki, who looked like she was about to apologise, but Riley stopped it with a, "Thanks."

Sanada Miyuki raised an eyebrow, "For what?"

"For doing the best that you could."

She seemed pleased with that answer, and then quipped, "Well, that last one was your fault. I did tell you to not stir up a scene."

"No you didn't", he chortled, "And besides, I am very well known for my dramatic shrills."

"Heh, I don't doubt that."

Riley then looked to Amy behind him, who reached over the pews and gave him a warm hug, "Er, what is you doing?" Riley asked.

"I am initiating hugging procedures", Amy quipped.

"What? You? Displaying affection? I never would've guessed."

Amy chuckled, and her look was replaced with a solemn one, "Sorry about all of this."

"Oh, what's there to apologise for?" Riley found it somewhat strange how he was able to be so upbeat about all of this, "It's just one week. What's gonna happen in a few days?"

"Ooooh, jinking it is not fun", Amy said, knowing how, seeing as he said that, he'd just invited chaos to ravage this city and open up the gates of hell, dramatically speaking. She paused, looking past Riley, before saying, "Eyes up."

Riley looked to where she was looking, seeing 4 security guards walking out of the door, and towards Riley. He mused about the unnecessary amount of security, but didn't think much about it, and said to Amy, "I'll see you on Sunday, I guess."

"I'll try and make something good for dinner on that day", she replied.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Don't stress yourself", he said, "See you then."

"Come on", said the guard, "Let's go."

Riley didn't resist as the guard put on the handcuffs once again. What was the point of doing so? It only would've exacerbated the-

Wait, where were the other 3-

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"

-Guards...

Riley looked to the sound of the shrill, to see each of the other 3 guards hauling Bando, Fujita, and Zaizen up to their feet respectively, each of them looking as galled as the next as handcuffs were placed on them. Fujita was the one who was the loudest above the multitudinous cacophony of yells being given off by the other 2, "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM! I AM FUJITA MASAIE, AND I-"

The judge cut in, "Bando Fujio. Fujita Masaie, and Zaizen Emon, I hereby place you under arrest for abuse, falsifying a police report, and contempt in court respectively", he paused, taking in their yells, before going, "Your case will be heard on Sunday this week", he banged his gavel once again, "The court has spoken."

The ever hawkish Bando glared daggers at Riley as he was dragged away beyond the doors and the periphery of Riley's view, as did the now scorned Fujita and the ever portentous Zaizen. Both he and his sibling felt, and knew, that they had made some powerful enemies this day.

But at the moment, Riley cared not. As he said his goodbyes to Amy and Sanada Miyuki, and was taken back to his cell, the now rather haggard boy surreptitiously grinned, to which he received little opprobrium. As he was marched away, he mused to himself that while Bando, Fujita, and Zaizen (At least, for the last 2 he assumed) Were intelligent, sure...

They weren't smart at all.

* * *

 _Sunday 16th October 2022_

* * *

 _They're all on their way out now_ , mused Riley to himself as he laid splayed over his bed in his dank cell, the sound of a CI made prison drone buzzing around, it's cerulean light shining into the cell, before flying away. His hand was against his face, feeling for the little cuts and bumps with middling success that had been involuntarily gifted to him over a week ago. Now though, they were finally fading away. The scabs had healed over, leaving bumps where the cuts once were. His bruises were fading away now, turning from red to a purple colour, and his black eye had changed to a yellowish colour, on it's last legs till it was gone forever. His skin had also gone pale, due to a lack of natural sunlight, and his hair was messy and had lost a bit of it's natural colour, also from a lack of natural sunlight.

Of course, Riley didn't know that himself. There was a distinct lack of mirrors in the prison, and he had asked several people on different days what the state of his face was. Apart from the expected comments telling him that he 'Looked like a prune had sex with an older prune and then took a shit on it', or something else much more colourful, they'd been able to give him accurate guesses, so that was nice of them.

{CLANG} went the cell as it opened to the thoroughfare outside of it, as a rather dapper guard by the name of Rai Yurina (A name he had learnt over the last week by mild conversation) Stepped into the cell, 2 of those humanoid robots from the presentation on Monday the 3rd standing guard outside, holding long staffs that held electric tasers at the end of them. Rai spoke up, "Harrison, it's time to go. Your sister is waiting outside."

Riley almost jumped up, muttering an earnest, "Hurray", as he got up, walking to Rai, and outside of his cell, one of the robots slapping a pair of handcuffs on him again, "Do I really need these on?" Riley asked as he tried to itch at the skin underneath them.

"It's procedure", Rai muttered, before going, "Once we're out of this section, you'll be taken to the changing rooms, where you'll be given your clothes and belongings from when you were arrested. Once there, you'll be expected to head out on your own, where you'll meet your sibling."

Riley nodded in response, unquestioning at all. If he were to be honest, his whole stay at the prison wasn't actually that enervating. Well, it was at first. He was so worried that he'd be beaten up, or get caught in a riot and crushed under a throng of prisoners, or worse, like in the movies and shows. Instead, the worst that had happened to him was some guy that decided to steal his food one time, and that was it.

However, the most nerve wracked he'd been was on Sunday last week, when a fellow inmate around his age came up to him and told him that Bando was in the prison now, and was gunning for his blood. The guards literally had to sedate him and put him into a separate cell block just to make sure that he didn't instigate a riot and try to throttle Riley to death. Riley wasn't surprised by that, but when he asked how long Bando was gonna be staying in the prison, when the same guy came back, Riley found himself so elated that he was practically jumping up and down in his seat.

Late March, 2023. He wouldn't be released until the end of the school year. And what else was there? He wasn't going to be allowed in Fumizuki Academy ever again.

As he was marched out of the cell block, and down the corridor, Riley could tell that the future was just that little bit brighter. So many of his and Amy's problems had stemmed from Bando in one way or another. Without him around, there's a high chance that Bando's gang will ease off, or just completely ignore him and Amy, and so they can get on with their lives. Perhaps Riley could start looking for a job without worrying about people being put off by the facial scars. Perhaps people wouldn't be put off by the facial scars in general. Then again, Riley's probably got a criminal record now, so...

 _Wait_ , Riley thought, as he saw someone on the opposite end of the corridor, _Is that..._

 _…_

 _No way._

* * *

I see Master. He comes for me. He comes to the personal effects section, where he shall reclaim me. He wears not the prison jumpsuit. He wears his personal clothes. He walks down the corridor, escorted by a female guard armed with a baton. My hands are clasped in front of me. I am cleaned. My new clothing is clean and ready. I am ready.

Master sees me. He stops in front of the reclamation office. He looks confused. Why is he confused to see me? Has he forgotten about me? Does he forget that I am his? Perhaps he did not expect to see me. Perhaps he expected me to be in the hands of the false master, or my handlers in Chimera Industries. Yes. That must be it.

Master says nothing. He looks to the reclamation officer. The reclamation officer begins to list off and hand back Master's personal belongings. A coin. A broken watch. I.

"Um, why is the android here?" Master asks, still confused. Why are you confused, Master? Are you not happy to see me?

The reclamation officer shrugs, "CI's CEO saw that with the memory wipe equipment still damaged, and with you on the android's memory, well, she figured that you may as well keep it", another shrug.

Master looks at the reclamation officer, "What is it, a PR stunt, or something."

"Probably something like that", the reclamation officer shrugs once more, "Better to make the best of a bad situation, I suppose."

A sigh and a nod from Master. A look of decision? Is he deciding something? What is he deciding?

Silence.

Another sigh.

"Alright then, come on", Master orders. He takes my hand. He pulls me along.

Master is keeping me.

Master is pleased with me?

Master is pleased with me.

Master takes me down a flight of stairs.

Master takes me down a corridor.

Master takes me outside.

The outside airs hits my skin, nervous receptors relay sensory information to my neural capacitors. It is cold. 11°C.

Master shivers. Master is cold.

Master is not wearing warm clothing. Master needs to be warmed up.

I go to hug master. I go to give him my warmth.

A cry is heard. We look to it. We see a girl. My optical sensors register her as Amy Harrison.

Mistress Amy. My Master's sister.

She calls out again, "Riley!"

"Hey Amy!" Master says.

Mistress Amy runs up to Master.

Is she going to attack him?

Threat: Possible.

I place myself before Master.

Master moves past me.

Master hugs Mistress Amy

Threat: None.

"How've you been doing, sis?" Master is happy to see Mistress Amy again. Why is he not happy to see me? Does he not know that I can make him the happiest he's ever been?

"Oh, I've been doing fine", Mistress Amy replies. There is a smile on both of their faces. Mistress Amy clasps both of Master's hands. Master is put off by this. Master smiles anyways. Get off Master, "Court wanted to pay me a fine for contempt in court, but they remembered your rant about our living conditions, and looked into it, and they reasoned that we were too poor to pay for it, and just gave me a slap on the wrist. Things have changed a lot in the academy too, especially now that Bando's sitting in a cell."

"Heh, yeah, I can tell", there is a look of remembrance on Master's face. What does he remember? There is a look of conflict on Master's face. What troubles him?

"Best to not talk about it here, in the freezing cold", Mistress Amy says, holding onto one of Master's hands, "C'mon, let me tell you all about it when we... Get..."

Mistress Amy notices me.

Mistress Amy looks at me.

Mistress Amy has a look of annoyance on her face.

"What is she doing here?"

Master looks at me, and then to Mistress Amy. There is a look of understanding on him.

"Well, the personal belongings guy told me that since the memory wipe stuff at Chimera Industries broke, Kobashigawa just decided to let us have it."

"Seriously? After all of the trouble that we went through because of it?"

Mistress Amy is angry. Mistress Amy is angry at me. Mistress Amy is angry at Master.

Do not hurt Master.

"Apparently", says Master, "I'm just not really sure what to do with it, though? I mean, what are we suppose to do?"

"We could sell her", says Mistress Amy, "Make a bit of money off of her."

No.

No.

Please do not be rid of me.

"Please do not be rid of me", I say. I surprise both Master and Mistress Amy, "I am sorry. I will do whatever you ask of me. I will cook for you. I will clean for you. I will protect you. I will do whatever it is that Master wishes. I will do anything for you, Master. Just please do not be rid of me. I wish to do what I was created for, and follow whatever it is that you command."

Master looks at Mistress Amy.

Mistress Amy looks at Master.

Silence.

Master looks at me.

Master speaks.

"Okay", he says, "You can stay with us."

Mistress Amy whispers, "Are you kidding me?"

"For now", Master adds, "You can stay with us for now."

I curtsy, "Thank you, my Master. I exist only to serve you."

Master is nervous.

Master glances to the side.

Mistress Amy glares at him.

Do not threaten Master.

Master sighs, "Alright then, let's head home", he says. Mistress Amy obeys, leading us back to Master's residence, "You can fill me in on what I've missed for the last week and a bit."

Master and Mistress Amy talk. They talk and talk and talk. We walk and walk and walk.

I look to Master.

Thank you, Master.

I live only to make you happy, Master.

 **I exist only for you.**

* * *

 **?**

* * *

The High Priest had given his consent to the man's plans, though he had voiced his doubts. But the man had paid it little heed. The High Priest was old and weak, and his plans were nothing compared to his, and soon, the man would have his place at the throne, where his word would be law.

Oh, what a glorious day it would be. The man could hardly wait. The High Priest wasn't exactly subtle with his words and his schemes. He liked to boost about times long gone, and was about as detached from reality as could be, coupled with his bitter obsessions and mind games. But the man paid it no mind. It was time for fresh blood to take over, and the man was the right guy for the job.

He walked and walked and walked, until he had reached his prize. Beneath his humble abode was a treasure that had been unearthed some time before his plans had begun to whirl into motion. But now, as he looked at it with his own eyes, he realised that it was worth the unknown wait to find it. It had been a sign. A sign from the gods themselves, telling him that his path was righteous, and his machinations were to be without fail.

Of course, he told not the High Priest of this. Why let him despoil his approaching victory? Let him and his archons play and fool with the rabble. He had everything that he needed right here.

However, as the cold light shone upon the man, he noticed a mark upon his treasure that he had never seen before. He went to investigate it, but found that it was no a mark, but a word. A single word, that was engraved right into the treasure. A word, that was spoken in a language that he had never seen.

The man was furious. Did somewhat spoil his prize? How dare they.

He marched away, determined to exact his vengeance on those whom would damage his treasure, leaving it in silence and loneliness once more.

However, if the man had known what the word was, perhaps he would've reacted differently. Perhaps he would've run and killed the heretic whom spoke the cursed word. Perhaps he would've buried the treasure once again, hoping that nothing was to become of it any longer. Perhaps he would've halted his plans all together. Or perhaps he would've done nothing at all.

For the cursed word, the unholy word, the word that would challenge their might and righteous path...

The word was Eugenesis.

* * *

 **And there we go, chapter 2 of We Are Human!**

 **Holy crap, I'm so sorry I disappeared for a while. I've been so busy! I've had this chapter sitting in my archives for a while, uncompleted, but I've been busy with my other stories, real life stuff, college work, etc etc. The last 6 weeks especially have been non stop. But now, with my half term just about over, I've now had the chance to finish this chapter off.**

 **Sorry if it seemed like a bit of a mess for you all. I don't really know what goes on in courts, so I was just kinda going for what I thought was the most realistic thing that would happen. In fact, this entire chapter was something that I thought the characters would realistically do, given their characters and all.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! Leave a review, and as always, Titanmaster117 out!**


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